Art & Utopia
Two cataloged auctions each year
Since 2016, the Art & Utopie auctions have been dedicated to art brut, naïve art, and Lettrism—a postwar movement centered on the use of letters and the poetry of words—which the auction house is currently the only one to promote in France. The purpose of these auctions is to bring together, within a single specialty, these outsider artists who have worked their entire lives on the fringes of influential networks and mainstream art movements. Sidelined by recognized movements in modern and contemporary art, these works are thus brought together under a single umbrella, allowing for a better understanding and appreciation of the artistic approach associated with them. Supported by discerning collectors, the market for these unique artists is booming and inspiring an increasing number of dedicated cultural events, such as the recent exhibition “Esprit es-tu là? ” held in 2020 at the Maillol Museum and the Outsider Art Fair, which takes place twice a year in New York and Paris. The Art et Utopie auctions are held on the sidelines of this event, with which Ader partners each year by participating in meetings and discussions.
A Word from the Expert
“Art brut and naïve art, as well as Lettrism, are fields where it is still possible to make incredible discoveries and bring to light completely unknown artists. In 2013, we presented a masterpiece of naïve art—a series of 1,500 fantastical animals drawn in watercolor, gouache, and ink by an anonymous artist—which we successfully sold for €166,400, including fees. The success of this sale led the art world to recognize the talent of a great artist, Josep Baqué (1895–1967), whose name is now known to all art lovers and professionals in the field. The collector who acquired this remarkable bestiary has since loaned it for thematic exhibitions focusing on naïve art and Baqué, organized notably at the Musée d’Art Brut in Lausanne, the Folk Art Museum in New York, and the Museum of Modern and Art Brut (the LAM) in Villeneuve-d’Ascq.”
Contacts
Xavier Dominique
xavier.dominique@ader-paris.fr
Camille Maujean
camille.maujean@ader-paris.fr
Tanguy Faramin
tanguy.faramin@ader-paris.fr
Anna Gorska
anna.gorska@ader-paris.fr
3 Rue Favart, 75002 Paris
Phone: +33 (0)1 53 40 77 10
Upcoming Sales
No sale for the moment
Past Sales
Successful Auctions
Barna BASILIDES (1903-1967) The Gathering, 1935 Oil on panel. Signed and dated lower right. 100 x 170 cm Provenance : Private collection, France. Exhibitions : - Exposition Universelle, Brussels, 1935 (Gold medal awarded to the painter) - Fair of Paris, 1936 (?). Bibliography : - Hungary, Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles, Athenaum, Budapest, 1935, p. 24. Our painting is reproduced on p.22 and is partially shown on p.5. The catalog is entirely illustrated by the works of Barna Basilides. - MagyarIparmuveszet, 1935, p.176 to 180 (The Hungarian pavilion at the 1935 World Fair in Brussels). - Albert Van Der Linden, 12 Hungarian folk songs, with an illustration by Basilides Barna, Liège: Vaillant-Carmanne, 1936 (our panel reproduced on the cover). - 8 Festo és 8 Szobrasz, Nemzeti Szalon Müveszeti Egyesület (November-December 1936). Related works: - Panels of the decorations of the Hungarian pavilion for The World Fair of 1935 in Brussels (between 14 and 16 paintings perhaps). - Tapestries of the Office of the Ambassadors at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, 1936. Barna Basilides' reputation was already well established when he was entrusted with the interior decoration of the Hungarian pavilion at the Brussels World Fair in 1935. It was not the first time that this young painter-decorator had taken on such an exercise. He even seems to have made a specialty of it. From the beginning of the 1930s, the magazine of Hungarian Decorative Arts (MagyarIparmuveszet) reproduced in its pages paintings by Basilides, presented on various occasions: a Christmas party in Budapest, an agricultural exhibition, a jubilee of industrial arts, etc. Imbued with a very personal naivety and an immediately identifiable charm, Basilides' work could certainly contribute to the influence of Hungarian culture in such an important event as a World Fair. By building this imposing pavilion in front of which a colossus with arms raised to the sky was enthroned, Hungary seemed to have opted for a true patriotic demonstration. No less than 14 panels, perhaps 16 in total, were needed to cover the top of the walls of this room where, against a background of tasting Hungarian specialties, traditional costumes and headdresses were displayed. A vast decorative ensemble pays homage to the world of agriculture and crafts, to Magyar culture and its folklore. These are: the wedding, the pottery, the harvest of the grape for the manufacture of Tokaï, the preparation of the goulash... In each of these scenes where the painter deploys the elements of a typical ornamental vocabulary, small winged and flowery putti, remind us of the world of Walt Disney who, in his first cartoons, will draw excessively in this folklore universe from Central Europe. What became of this decorative ensemble after the dismantling of the pavilion? It is difficult to say for sure. The presence of a dozen or so paintings by Basilides Barna at the Nemzeti Szalon (National Exhibition) of 1936 in Budapest suggests, however, that a good part of these panels made their way to the capital, while a few others made their way to France. Perhaps they were reused for a new event. In any case, this is what the presence of later additions on our painting suggests. As if to better frame and complete his composition, the artist took the time to add trees on either side of the figures, while in the center, at the feet of the girl, a white flower has grown (see figure 1). Strengthened by the prestige of such an international demonstration, Basilides Barna was chosen the following year to create the tapestries for the Ambassadors' Office of the Palais des Nations in Geneva, a decorative ensemble offered by Hungary to the League of Nations (SDN).
Bernard RÉQUICHOT (1929-1961) Painting, 1960 Oil on paper. Signed and dated lower right. (Small lack). 15 x 26 cm Provenance : - Daniel Cordier Gallery, Paris (label on the back on the mount). - Marcel Billot Collection Exhibition: Musée de l'Abbaye de Sainte-Croix, Les Sables d'Olonne, n° 26 (label on the back on the mount). Bibliography : Roland Barthes, Marcel Billot, Alfred Pacquement, Bernard Réquichot, Brussels, Édition de La Connaissance, 1973, no. 393, reproduced p. 131.
François AUGIERAS (1925-1971 )Le Paradis, circa 1950-60Oil on curved panel. Signed lower right. 45 x 50.5 cm Only certain insiders know the paintings of François Augiéras. The author of Le Vieillard et l'enfant (1954), solitary and rebellious, multiplied his travels. It was at Mount Athos that he considered becoming a monk. There, he deepened his knowledge of icons with the golden background that is found in his works and which gives them a sacred dimension. François Augiéras died at the age of 46, a cursed artist. "Would my most beautiful work of art be my life?" the writer asked himself.
*Pinchas Burstein aka Mary MARYAN [Polish] (1927-1977 )Portrait, 1975Grease pencil . Signed and dated lower right. 58.3 x 73.5 cmProvenance : Allan Rich Collection, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Philippe DEREUX (1918-2001 )Paris at night, 1973Painting on collage of peelings on panel. Monogrammed lower left. Signed, dated, titled and located on the back. 64 x 48,5 cmProvenance : - Collection Evelyne and Georges Brun. Acquired directly from the artist. - By descent.
Robert TATIN (1902-1983 )Tristan and Yseult, 1960Ink and watercolor. Signed, dated and titled in the composition. 27 x 21 cm
