Lot Essay
Pierre Renoir was born in 1885, the first son of Aline Charigot and the artist. Anne Distel writes:
"Long curls were in fashion for young boys at this date, but Renoir wanted to preserve those of his own children as long as possible. Jean Renoir later remembered his acute embarassment at the curls he was forced to wear until he went to school, although he was taunted with the nicknames 'girl' and, still worse, 'wall-mop' (tte de loup; J. Renoir, Renoir, Paris, 1962, pp. 317, 367, 393-4, 397). After the children's curls were cut, Renoir rarely used them as models" (A. Distel, Renoir, exh. cat., London, Hayward Gallery, 1985-1986, p. 267).
"Long curls were in fashion for young boys at this date, but Renoir wanted to preserve those of his own children as long as possible. Jean Renoir later remembered his acute embarassment at the curls he was forced to wear until he went to school, although he was taunted with the nicknames 'girl' and, still worse, 'wall-mop' (tte de loup; J. Renoir, Renoir, Paris, 1962, pp. 317, 367, 393-4, 397). After the children's curls were cut, Renoir rarely used them as models" (A. Distel, Renoir, exh. cat., London, Hayward Gallery, 1985-1986, p. 267).