Sale of the workshops Adolphe REY (1863-1944), Louis AGERON (1865-1935) and Marcelle AGERON (1902-1955)

mardi 21 mars 2023 14:30
Lyon , 2-4, rue Saint-Firmin 69008 Lyon
Sale information

Adolphe REY (1863-1944)

"This is indeed a discovery. A discreet man, Adolphe Rey pursued his work in the secrecy of his studio throughout his life. Only his closest friends were able to measure his talent. And if, finally yielding to their friendly pressure, he agreed to show his painting (he was then approaching his sixtieth birthday...) it was not by spreading himself out between galleries and exhibitions, but by stealth, so to speak, by blending in with the crowd of participants in the great Salon of Lyon. It is with these just words that Philippe Auserve, curator of the Museum of Painters of theSchool of Murols, introduces the subject of the catalog of the only large-scale exhibition devoted to the artist, fifteen years ago, during the month of May 2018 in this wonderful little museum in Auvergne.

Thus, this unique collection, preserved with all due care by the painter's descendants, (the state of freshness of the watercolors is absolutely remarkable), will be for the first time proposed to the public of amateurs and collectors.

Alphonse Rey was born on April 8, 1863 in Châteauvillain (Isère), from an old Dauphinoise family, he was schooled in Bourgoin, and began studies in architecture that brought him to Paris. In 1884 in Lyon, he chose to embark on a military career in the infantry, which saw him promoted to captain in 1904. A lung disease contracted in 1911 brought him back to Bourgoin, where he died on August 26, 1944

.

His meeting with Victor Charreton (1864-1936), one year his junior, on the benches of the local school, was to be decisive. In addition to the friendship which will unite the two men until the death of Charreton, the great painter recognized will not cease to bring his support and his encouragements to his former comrade. Thus, it is obviously Charreton who will bring Rey to Murol, for three stays between 1915 and 1918

.

Adolphe Rey's oils, of powerful bills, exalt the landscapes of the Dauphiné and the marvellous snows of Auvergne; worked in full pastes, of a fiery touch, they upset by the vivacity of their colors

.

Before being a painter, Adolphe Rey, bard of the "painting in water", was also a formidable watercolorist, if Ernest Filliard (1868-1933), specialist of the flower gave him some advices, Rey will not take long to a perfect mastery of this technique, using the most precious papers, working on the ground in solitary following the example of Ravier, or in the workshop for these sumptuous floral compositions.

If Adolphe Rey's fundamental modesty and extreme modesty prevented him from bringing to the fore the richness of his unique talent, it is up to us to finally celebrate this authentic painter, rediscovered nearly eighty years after his death

.

Louis AGERON (1865-1935) and Marcelle AGERON (1902-1955)

Louis Ageron, a great artist from Valence, one of the greatest watercolorists of our region after Ravier

, was

born in Valence on April 28, 1865, the son of a businessman. Ageron first studied at theÉcoledes Beaux-Arts in Lyon, before continuing his studies in Paris in the studio of Jean-Louis Gérôme (1824-1904). He also followed the less academic teaching of Henri Harpignies (1819-1916). This undisputed master of "plein air", who alone gave watercolor its letters of nobility in France in the 19th century, convinced the young Ageron that it was in this subtle and delicate genre that he should excel.

Returning to the Drôme and Valence, which he would never leave (he was director of theValence School of Art from 1922 to 1929), Ageron became the champion of the landscapes of the Rhône Valley, whose infinite palette of nuances he endeavored to capture, evolving with the seasons.

This intimate work with a predilection for small formats, true precious illuminations, reveals a contemplative artist, with extreme sensitivity, madly in love with nature with which he communed through colors and paper.

This exalted work, on the borders of impressionism and sometimes symbolism, can be seen as a continuation of François-Auguste Ravier (1814-1895), this "French Turner".

The purity that Ageron sometimes achieves, bordering on abstraction, is also reminiscent of the Far Eastern and Chinese tradition of landscape painting, expressing a poetic jubilation in front of the motif.

His daughter Marcelle (1902-1955), was of course his best pupil and also an excellent companion for picturesque excursions, bringing a different look, more attentive to the human environment, sharing with her father a particular appetence for the alpine landscapes.


Expert : Damien Voutay



Special conditions:

Artenchères is at your disposal for a more detailed state of conservation report, on request.

Photographic reproductions may not give an entirely accurate picture of the actual condition of a lot, notably because the colors or shadows shown in the reproduction may differ from what would be perceived by a direct observer. The dimensions of the Lots are given as an indication, with a reasonable margin of error (less than 10%). Not all defects are visible on the photos, and

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