Skippings Fine Arts has dated this piece to the 1960s.
Which, come to think of it, is apt and well deserved.
It is figurative - but with a twist. It illustrates that, even in the mid 20th century, you could be resolutely modern without being abstract.
The artist, Jacques Van den Bussche, was aged 36 and at the height of his powers when he painted this work of art. With diplomas from Fine Arts Academy of Marseilles, his home town, and and the National Academy of Fine Arts in Paris, he exhibited at the Salon de la Jeune Peinture from 1953 onwards. In 1961 - the year in which the present work was painted - he signed a contract with the prestigious Galerie Jean Claude Bellier (run by Vuillard's grandson), where he would exhibit for the next decade, with one man shows in 1961, 1964 and 1970.
Our painting has wonderful provenance: like a small number of others which I will be presenting here, it belonged to the private collection of art critic Guy Dornand, a specialist of Picasso, Utrillo, Lhote, who took a special interest in the Jeune Peinture mouvement. One of the major figures in art criticism post war France, Dornand worked for the Libération broadsheet and wrote innumerable books. Our painting by Jacques Van den Bussche came to me from his estate.
The painting is signed at the lower centre, titled in French "La bibliothèque" and initialled JVSB on the verso. An oil on canvas, the artwork measures 54 x 81 cm. Beautifully framed, the overall size is 66 x 93 cm.
Skippings Fine Arts has dated this piece to the 1960s.
Modern french & continental pictures selected by a former french auction house expert
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The Bookshelf, 1961 Modernist, Exquisite Provenance French Expressionist Oil on Canvas
