Émile-Octave-Denis-Victor Guillonnet (French, 1872-1967)
Émile-Octave-Denis-Victor Guillonnet (French, 1872-1967)
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Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's… Read more
Émile-Octave-Denis-Victor Guillonnet (French, 1872-1967)

The garden party at Buckingham Palace

Details
Émile-Octave-Denis-Victor Guillonnet (French, 1872-1967)
The garden party at Buckingham Palace
signed with initials 'E.O.D.V _ G' (lower left); and further inscribed 'GARDEN PARTY AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE' (lower centre)
oil on canvas
87 1/8 x 145 ¼ in. (221 x 369 cm.)
Provenance
John Wanamaker Inc., Philadelphia.
Property of John Wanamaker Inc.; sold Sotheby's, New York, 24 May 1988, lot 123.
Special notice
Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent. This lot will be removed to Christie’s Park Royal. Christie’s will inform you if the lot has been sent offsite. Our removal and storage of the lot is subject to the terms and conditions of storage which can be found at Christies.com/storage and our fees for storage are set out in the table below - these will apply whether the lot remains with Christie’s or is removed elsewhere. Please call Christie’s Client Service 24 hours in advance to book a collection time at Christie’s Park Royal. All collections from Christie’s Park Royal will be by pre-booked appointment only. Tel: +44 (0)20 7839 9060 Email: cscollectionsuk@christies.com. If the lot remains at Christie’s it will be available for collection on any working day 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. Lots are not available for collection at weekends.

Brought to you by

Charlotte Young
Charlotte Young

Lot Essay

Émile Guillonnet earnt a reputation rendering formal parties in his impressionist style using bright captivating colours and swift brushstrokes. In France he became the official painter of garden parties organised by President Loubet such as the Banquet of Mayors in 1900 (held in the gardens of the Elysée and featuring all the mayors of France). The present canvas set in the gardens of Buckingham Palace captures a similar scene, as portraits of the most noble of society gather around their host, King Edward VIII.
The John Wanamaker Department Store was one of the first department stores in the United States. It was founded by John Wanamaker (1838-1922) who is often described as a ‘pioneer in marketing’ and who served as U.S. Postmaster General. The John Wanamaker Department Store is known for its substantial effects on the development of the retail industry in America, where it was the first store to use price tags. The grand scale of the present pair of paintings seem likely to have been commissioned for the Wanamaker Department Store, which was similarly built on a particularly grand scale. The store, built in the Florentine style, had 12 floors and numerous galleries totaling nearly two million square feet.

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