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 towers of the Conciergerie silhouetted in the background). Beneath covered arbours, a profusion of pots, bouquets and floral arrangements bursts forth in touches of vivid colour: poppy orange, soft pink, pure white and deep greens.

Amidst this floral setting, several figures are busy at work: a florist in an apron advises an elegant lady in a pink dress, other strollers choose their bouquets, whilst an elegant gentleman in a dark suit and hat walks away in the centre, a generous bouquet under his arm. The composition is crowned by a poetic sky tinged with pink, across which small cottony clouds drift. Here, Thérèse Hummel unfolds 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 within 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 very heart of modernity.

Close to the leading names of the Montparnasse and Montmartre avant-garde, she shared privileged 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 form and an 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, UV-filtering glass.

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