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This work is one of a series painted by André Lhote between 1907 and 1909. By this time the young painter had left his native city of  Bordeaux to try his luck in Paris. But his first few years in the capital of the arts were difficult. He felt isolated, lost in a world run by art dealers and critics. However, respite came in the form of Bordeaux-based collector Gabriel Frizeau, with whom he corresponded regularly.  Frizeau supported him financially by commissioning him to produce copies of  works for sale in his influential Parisian galleries. André Lhote was therefore a regular visitor to important dealers such as Bernheim-Jeune and Ambroise Vollard, where he painted copies of famous  paintings by André Derain, Odilon Redon and Paul Gauguin. The  painting presented here is a copy of Sous les palmiers, painted in 1891 by Paul Gauguin. Gabriel Frizeau was notably one of the greatest collectors of Paul Gauguin's works, including D'où venons-nous, que sommes-nous, où allons-nous (Boston Museum of Fine Arts). He was very impressed by André Lhote's version; he purchased Gauguin's Sous les palmiers in 1908.

Related Sale:
14 June 2010
Sale 5625
ART IMPRESSIONNISTE ET MODERNE
Paris

Enquiries:
Marine Bancilhon
Head of Sales
mbancilhon@christies.com
+33 (0)1 40 76 86 08