Jean-Pierre Cassigneul
1935 - | French
Le Collier de Perles
Signed “Cassigneul” (upper left)
Signed, titled and dated (en verso)
Oil on canvas
Jean-Pierre Cassigneul, one of France's most popular and well-known living artists, brings together vibrant color and sleek sophistication in this monumental oil on canvas. Cassigneul has long been celebrated for his ultra-chic portraits of the sophisticated Parisian woman at leisure, and this enigmatic composition entitled Le Collier de Perles is exemplary of his bold and theatrical style. With her heavy-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks, his mysterious subject is at once classically elegant and thoroughly modern as she lounges within a lush interior. Painted in 2020, Le Collier de Perles combines some of the most prevailing motifs of the artist's oeuvre: the female figure, abundant foliage, a vibrant palette, and an aura of luxury.
The combination of rich color and the female form in Cassigneul's work points directly to the significant influence of Kees van Dongen over the artist. Elegant socialites with elongated, sharply contoured features pervade van Dongen's canvases, and Le Collier de Perles pays homage to the distinctive style the legendary Fauvist developed to capture his sensuous sitters. Suffused with green and pink hues, Le Collier de Perles evokes a luxurious atmosphere removed from any specific place or time. His poised subject, centrally placed behind a large potted flower, lounges casually with her arm resting on the chaise. The sitter's sartorial finery and confident gaze highlight her elegance, with the titular strands of pearls and vivacious hat that mirrors the flowers before her. Vivid, expressive pops of color dominate the piece, and all are applied with a candid energy that places the work distinctly within the Fauvist realm.
Born in Paris in 1935, Cassigneul held his first one-man exhibition at the young age of 17 and later entered the Academie Charpentier, only to leave after one year to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. By 1959, he was appointed a member of the Salon d'Automne, and ever since his work has been widely exhibited throughout the world, particularly in Western Europe, the United States, and Japan, where he enjoys an especially devoted following.
Dated 2020
Canvas: 39 3/4" high x 31 3/8" wideFrame: 41" high x 36 5/8" wide x 1 1/2" deep
Exhibited: Jean-Pierre CASSIGNEUL, Seibu Dept. Store, Tokyo, 11-20 September, 2021. Illustrated in the exhibition brochure.
