Thérèse HUMMEL (1896-1967) — Le Marché aux fleurs - Signed watercolour - 20th century

A sparkling and luminous watercolour heightened with ink and touches of gouache, entitled Le Marché aux fleurs, executed by the artist Thérèse Hummel (1896-1967).

The scene transports us to the heart of a bustling Parisian flower market (evoking the banks of the Seine, with the bridge and the towers of the Conciergerie silhouetted in the background). Beneath covered arbours, a profusion of pots, bouquets and floral arrangements bursts forth in strokes of vivid colour: poppy orange, soft pink, pure white and deep greens.

Amid this floral setting, several figures go about their business: a florist in an apron advises an elegant lady in a pink dress, other strollers choose their bouquets, while a dapper gentleman in a dark suit and hat walks away in the centre, a generous bouquet tucked under his arm. The composition is crowned by a poetic sky tinted with pink, flown over by small cottony clouds. Here Thérèse Hummel deploys all the freshness of her palette and the graphic freedom so characteristic of her œuvre.

Biography / About the artist

Thérèse HUMMEL (1896-1967)

An intimate figure of the Parisian artistic circles of the first half of the 20th century, Thérèse Hummel belongs to that generation of independent female artists who moved at the heart of modernity.

Close to the great names of the avant-garde of Montparnasse and Montmartre, she shared particularly close bonds of friendship with Jeanne Hébuterne, Amedeo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso. Immersed in this exceptional creative effervescence, her work is characterised by a remarkable plastic freedom, combining the poetry of everyday life, a simplification of forms and expressive use of colour.

Her works, sought-after and rare on the market, constitute a precious testimony to the creative spirit of the École de Paris.

The work benefits from a bespoke museum-quality framing: anti-reflective glass with UV filtration.

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