Oil On Wood, "woman By The Sea," Charles Kvapil

A superb oil on panel depicting a nude woman seated by the sea, an iconic work by Charles KVAPIL (1884–1958), signed in the lower right corner.

This intimate composition perfectly illustrates the theme of bathers, a major subject in the artist’s work. The model, seen from behind in a meditative pose, stands out with great delicacy against a seascape of ochre-hued landforms and deep cobalt blues—a palette characteristic of Kvapil. The light envelops the skin tones with remarkable softness, while the free and generous brushwork builds the forms with a vibrant texture. The combined influence of Cézanne, Fauvism, and the tradition of Courbet’s great nudes lends this work a presence that is both modern and timeless.

A leading painter of the School of Paris, Charles Kvapil was born in 1884 and trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. After World War I, he settled in Paris, where he exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants beginning in 1920, before regularly participating in the Salon d’Automne. His works were exhibited in Paris, Munich, Brussels, Geneva, Stockholm, London, and New York. Today, they are held in numerous public collections, notably at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, as well as in museums in Le Havre, Rouen, Saint-Étienne, and Amsterdam.

The female nudes from this period, which are particularly sought after on the art market, are among the artist’s most representative works. This painting captivates as much for its pictorial quality as for its strong decorative power, embodying all the elegance of French painting from the interwar period.

A collector’s piece offering a beautiful balance between a modern brushstroke, rich colors, and sensual forms—characteristic of Charles Kvapil’s finest compositions.