Pastel Drawing By Henri Laffite Depicting A Harem Scene

Unsigned pastel by Henri Laffite from Henri Laffite's studio collection in Condom (Gers).
Studio stamp at the back.
Painter, sculptor and decorator from Gers, Henri Laffite was very precocious, creating his first sculptures at the age of 15 and joining the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse the following year, then in 1904 that of Paris. He then rented a modest room in Montparnasse and had as a neighbor the Spanish painter Jose Clara, a great friend of Picasso. This is how he would meet the latter as well as Fernand Leger. He would perfect his sculpture in Rodin's studio without abandoning his brushes. He would have the opportunity to rub shoulders with another great artist in the person of Maurice Denis with whom they would paint together the frescoes of the church of the Sacred Heart of Crete in Thonon-les-Bains. As a decorator, he left his mark on the capital's major cinemas, at the Colonial Exhibition and decorated the Portuguese pavilion at the 1937 Universal Exhibition. A great traveler, he stayed several times in Portugal and then settled in Brazil for a few years before returning to France at the end of his life. Dimensions: 62 x 47cm