Adrien Henri Tanoux (1865-1923), The Model In The Studio

Adrien Henri TANOUX (1865-1923) The Model in the Studio Oil on canvas, signed lower right Dimensions: 55.5 x 38.5 cm Dimensions with frame (some minor losses): 76 x 59 cm Trace of inventory on the back Label with the inscription "Tanoux" then below "Hors concours" (Out of Competition), the artist being a jury member and he presented numerous works at the Salon as Hors concours. Provenance: - Christie's London, sale of March 25, 1988, lot 52 - Probably passed through the Gary Roche Gallery (inscription on the back in white chalk) Comparison: - Another work by the artist dated 1913 depicting the same model in the studio, nude from behind, was sold at Tajan on March 28, 2014, lot 186. See the second to last photo. The tone of the work, the small sculpture, and the arrangement of the palette with the colors are all present. Another work with the same model was sold at Aguttes on June 25, 2008, this time dated 1914. The white drapery and the hand-held figure are reused from the previous work. (See last photo.) This information suggests that the work was created around 1913/1914. Biography: Henri-Adrien Tanoux was born in Marseille in 1865 and showed a clear talent for drawing from a very young age. After promising beginnings at the École des Beaux-Arts in his hometown, he moved to Paris where he completed his training in the renowned studio of Léon Bonnat. It was there that he perfected his sense of light, modeling, and composition, qualities that would leave a lasting mark on his work. From the 1890s onward, Tanoux exhibited regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français, where he received awards and distinctions that gradually established his reputation. His style is distinguished by a refined realism, underpinned by a subtle mastery of skin tones and fabrics. While the artist explored a variety of subjects, it was above all in the representation of the female nude and in Orientalist painting that he found his fullest expression: hushed interiors, elegant young women, intimate compositions bathed in a warm and enveloping light. Noted for his paintings of nudes and women of sensual and voluptuous beauty, he practiced a tender and mannerist figurative style. He often placed his models in an atmosphere of harmonious tones, skillfully playing with light and shadow. He decorated the wedding hall of the 14th arrondissement town hall in Paris with a scene entitled "The Wedding" (1888), and the reception hall of the 10th arrondissement town hall with "Theaters" in 1905. He died in Paris in 1923. Museums: Paris, Petit Palais Museum; Chambéry Museum of Fine Arts; Marseille Museum of Fine Arts; Nice Museum of Fine Arts