Christie’s is pleased to announce the auction of an exceptional group of works from the former Collection Henri Canonne – the legendary Impressionist collector taking place in Paris on April 9 at 4 PM. As a prelude to the evening sale – one of the most prestigious of the season and a highlight of Christie’s 20th-21st Century Art Week – the Ancienne Collection Henri Canonne - Une Leçon Impressionniste auction will take a center stage. Alongside the Salon du Dessin, PAD Paris and Art Paris, Christie’s 20th-21st Century Art Week, which also includes the sale of a distinguished collection of modern and contemporary art, will further contribute to this vibrant moment for the Paris art market. The Ancienne Collection Henri Canonne - Une Leçon Impressionniste sale builds on the success of the April 2024 season. With total sales reaching €24.5 million, Christie’s Paris reaffirmed its position as a premier destination for the sale of masterpieces in this category.
Henri-Edmond Canonne (1867-1961) was a Parisian pharmacist and industrialist who owed his reputation to his famous Valda throat lozenges – first marketed in 1902 from his pharmacy on Rue Réaumur. A major breakthrough in the fight against respiratory infections, these lozenges revolutionized the over-the-counter drug market.
Beyond his success as a bold entrepreneur, Canonne was also a discerning and visionary art collector.
From the 1920s onwards, as Impressionism gradually gave way to new avant-garde movements, Canonne assembled one of the finest Impressionist collections of his time. Captivated by Monet’s Giverny landscapes and plays with light, he acquired no fewer than 40 major works by the artist, including 17 of his most iconic water lilies. Yet, his sharp eye extended beyond established figures such as Monet, Sisley and Renoir. He embraced the bold color experiments of Neo-Impressionists such as Signac and Cross, as well as the broader heirs to the Impressionist movement, from the Nabis such as Bonnard, Vuillard and Roussel, to the Colorists of the early 20th century.
Constantly reassessing his choices and tastes, Canonne did not hesitate to sell certain works to acquire new ones. This dynamic culminated in 1939 with a landmark sale at the Galerie Charpentier, still considered one of the most significant collector’s auctions of the early 20th century. Today, paintings from his collection hang on the walls of the some og the world’s most prestigious museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Kuboso Memorial Museum of Arts in Osaka.
On April 9, the auction will bring back into the spotlight rare masterpieces that have remained hidden from view for over 80 years, offering a striking testament to the renowned Canonne taste.
Among them, two portraits by Pierre-Auguste Renoir showcase his talent for capturing both the grace and intimacy of his models:
Jeune fille appuyée sur la main, painted in 1894 (€2.2-3.2 million)
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Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
and La Leçon d’écriture, painted in 1905 (€2-3 million). In this work, the young Claude Renoir – the youngest of the artist’s children – attempts to write under the watchful eye of the Renoir family’s faithful nanny, Gabrielle Renard.
A twin version of this work is in the Barnes Collection in Philadelphia – renowned for its exceptional holdings of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s masterpieces. This version was also acquired from the French art dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel.
Landscapes are another defining theme of this collection, exemplified by
Le quartier de l’Hermitage, Pontoise by Camille Pissarro (€800,000-1.2 million), painted in the same year of the First Impressionist Exhibition. The sale also features a selection of landscapes by Maurice Utrillo, Maurice de Vlaminck, Raoul Dufy and Paul Signac.
The sale is completed with an intimate painting by
Pierre Bonnard, Femme à demi-nue or Nu se coiffant devant la glace (€350,000-550,000) painted around 1915, and a series of watercolors by
Johan Barthold Jongkind representing his various stays in France, with estimates starting at €1,000.
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