Raphaël Drouart, Luxembourg Gardens, 1920s, Etching

Details

Description

Raphaël Drouart (1884 1972)

Jardin du Luxembourg

Original Etching on Paper
1920s

Size (overall): 252 x 323 mm
Size (image): … Read more Raphaël Drouart (1884 1972)

Jardin du Luxembourg

Original Etching on Paper
1920s

Size (overall): 252 x 323 mm
Size (image): 148 x 208 mm
Numbered 23/50, lower left
Hand Signed, lower right

Edition of 50

On the bottom, hand titled: "Jardin du Luxembourg"

Provenance
Collection Jacques Rodrigues-Henriquès

Literature
Published in:
Thierry Lefrançois, "Raphaël Drouart : 1884-1972 : catalogue complet de son oeuvre gravé", La Rochelle, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 1990

Excellent Condition:
The central etched plate mark is crisp, and the ink impression of the figure and background is dark, rich, and clear with no smudging or fading
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The Artist

Maurice Raphaël Drouart (1884-1972), was a versatile French painter, printmaker, and illustrator whose career bridged classical artistic training and the modernist movements of the early twentieth century. He initially studied painting under Fernand Cormon and engaged closely with the Nabis, notably working as an assistant to Maurice Denis on the ceiling of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

Drouart’s artistic trajectory was interrupted by the First World War, during which he spent over three years as a prisoner of war in Germany. Following his return, he mastered various printmaking techniques, eventually exhibiting his woodcuts, etchings, and lithographs widely. Throughout the 1920s, he gained renown as a book and art illustrator, collaborating with publishers like Arthur Goldscheider and participating in the landmark 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. Appointed a knight of the Legion of Honour in 1938, Drouart passed away in 1972.
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The Collector

Jacques Rodrigues-Henriquès (1886–1968) was a prominent French art dealer and expert who operated a gallery on Rue Bonaparte and managed the artistic legacy of his stepfather, Félix Vallotton. Positioned within the powerful Bernheim-Jeune family and collaborating with critic Félix Fénéon, he shaped the European market for early 20th-century modern art by exhibiting works from major figures like Pierre Bonnard, Paul Signac, Georges Seurat, and Maximilien Luce.
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The Artwork

Raphaël Drouart’s etching Jardin du Luxembourg ("Luxembourg Garden") captures a lively yet elegant terrace scene within the famous Parisian park. The composition features a variety of figures strolling, conversing, and resting along the stone balustrades. In the foreground, elegantly dressed pedestrians move across the open walkway, while other figures are gathered on benches or seated in classic park chairs beneath the shade of towering trees. Decorative classical elements, such as balustrades and prominent stone pillars or caryatid statues holding up planters, anchor the scene to its specific Parisian architecture.
Stylistically, this print mirrors the atmospheric, texturally rich approach seen in Drouart’s other works. Rather than a stark urban record, he transforms the public park into a classical, almost timeless sanctuary. The dense, intricate cross-hatching in the foliage creates a deep canopy of shadows, casting a beautifully filtered light across the terrace that softens the modern figures into an idyllic, painterly tableau. This piece has an attribution mark,
I am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
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