Property from the Collection of WALTER J. JOHNSON (lots 230-235) Walter J. Johnson was born in Leipzig, Germany in 1908. After completing his studies at the University of Heidelberg, the Sorbonne in Paris, and University College in London, he joined his family's Leipzig scientific publishing company, Akademisch Verlags gesellschaft & Gustav Foch, becoming the fifth generation of his family to work in this business. Soon after Mr. Johnson emigrated to the United States he founded the Academic Press in New York and London. Academic Press continues to publish most of the Nobel Laureates of science, many of whom were regular guests in the Johnson home. Mr. Johnson was raised in a milieu of cultural sophistication, academic interests and collecting. The family tradition of collecting, together with Mr. Johnson's love of rare books and knowledge of the history of printing and publishing, evolved into an interest in the etchings of Rembrandt, whom Mr. Johnson considered to be the greatest of all artists. It was always Mr. Johnson's intention that his collection be dispersed at auction. He immensely enjoyed the pursuit and acquisition of his collection, and he liked to think of these works giving pleasure to later generations of collectors. Property from the Collection of WALTER J. JOHNSON

Paul Signac (1863-1935)

Concarneau, étude

Details

Paul Signac (1863-1935)
Concarneau, étude
signed with initial bottom right 'S'
oil on canvas
9¾ x 13 1/8in. (24.8 x 33.3cm.)
Painted in 1891

Provenance

Georges Lecomte, Paris (gift from the artist)
Hammer Galleries, New York (acquired by the previous owner, 1964)

Lot Essay

The present work is a preparatory study for the larger painting entitled Concarneau, Calme du soir, Opus 220 (Lehman Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) that was included in the exhibition of Les XX in Brussels in 1892.

Françoise Cachin has confirmed the authenticity of this painting.