Claude Vanier, Born Simon Abramovitch (le Havre 1903 – Paris 1958) – Mother And Child In Violet

The composition shows a mother with her child in a frontal, symmetrical pose that recalls sacred iconography, yet softened by a sweet and gentle face.

Color dominates the canvas: violet, blue, and ochre applied in textured strokes create a vibrant surface, where the atmosphere feels almost magical, poised between intimacy and symbol.

Signed “VANIER” lower left. On the stretcher appears the note “10/3/1946”, which may indicate the date of execution. Remnants of labels on the reverse suggest previous exhibitions or gallery provenance.

Claude Vanier, born Simon Abramovitch in Le Havre in 1903, studied at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in his hometown before moving to Paris, where he attended several Montparnasse academies. He exhibited at major Salons from the late 1920s and held his first solo show in 1929. Initially influenced by Impressionism, he soon embraced a Fauve palette with bold and free color. His travels to Italy, especially Venice, sharpened his sense of light and color. He died in Paris in 1958.