Federico Beltran Masses Portrait of Madame Jean Bonnardel
$175,000.00
Our client's Art Deco period portrait in oil on canvas by Federico Armando Beltran Masses (1885-1949), circa 1934, depicts Madeleine de Montgomery (1899-1952), daughter of the Count of Montgomery and a granddaughter of Count Alfred de Montgomery, later known as Madeleine Bonnardel or Madame Jean Bonnardel following her marriage to the French industrialist, Jean Bonnard.
Signed 'F. Beltran Masses' in lower right. Oil on canvas measures 77 3/8 by 52 1/4 in, 196.5 x 132.6 cm. Frame 90 by 63 1/2 in; 229 by 161 cm. Condition is good. There are four old patch repairs to the canvas visible on verso, and no doubt inpainting in these restored areas. Small (1/4 inch) small round indentation with partial puncture/tear in lower right.
This very large and important work by Masses depicts Ms. Bonnardel standing on a Venetian bridge overlooking a canal on a moon-lit evening in his unique nocturnal hue (known as Beltran Blue), in a stunning georgette dress in black and grey with orange sash with a Moroccan cape of black crepe lined in orange by Madeleine Vionnet. She wears numerous Cartier diamond bracelets over black gloves. A photograph of her in this precise outfit can be seen in the two-page spread entitled Scenario of a Day in Paris in the June 1, 1933 edition of Vogue, that showed her in various attire throughout the day.
Ms. Bonnardel was a socialite and celebrated fashion icon in Paris throughout the 1930s. She frequently modeled for Vogue and was a well-known muse and client for the legendary fashion house of Madeleine Vionnet. A dynamic woman of many talents, she held a salon in Paris, was a licensed pilot and a director on staff of Marie-Clair magazine at its time of launch in 1937.
Known for his portraits of high-society, celebrities and exotic subjects, Masses' paintings have been celebrated in numerous exhibitions and retrospectives across the globe. His paintings can be found in the collections of numerous museums, including Musee d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Jeu de Paume, Petit Palace, Centre Reina Sofia, among others.
Provenance:
• Collection of the artist until his death in 1949.
• Private collection, Barcelona.
• Galerie Ary Jan, Paris.
Publications:
• Federico Beltrán Masses - Blue Nights and Libertine Legends. Nocturnes and Portraits in the Jazz Age; Stair Sainty Gallery, p. 160, no. 22, ill. p. 161.
Exhibitions:
• Paris, Galerie Bernheim Jeune, 1935.
• London, New Burlington Galleries, Burlington Gardens, Paintings by Federico Beltrán Massés , 1938.
• Castellon de la Plana, Fundación Caja Castellón, Sala Bancaja San Miguel et Salamanca, Museo Art Nouveau y Art Déco Casa Lis, Federico Beltrán Massés - Enigma y sensualidad , 2007.
• Segovia, Torreón de Lozoya, Federico Beltrán Massés , January 25-March 23, 2008, cat. expo., ill. p. 99.
• Barcelona, Museo Diocesano, Federico Beltrán Massés, un pintor en la corte de Hollywood , June 3-July 17, 2011, cat. expo., no. 93, ill.
• Madrid, Real Academia de San Fernando, Federico Beltrán Massés, Castizo cosmopolita, May 18-July 1, 2012.
• London, Stair Sainty Gallery, in association with Galerie Alain Blondel of Paris, October 3-November 16, 2012
• Paris, La Biennale Paris, Grand Palais, September 8-16, 2018.