The 2013 retrospective and projects for 2014. 10th Issue

Dear Friends,

You may have discovered this blog as soon as September 2013. It was motivated by the inauguration of the exhibition “Masculin – Masculin” at the Orsay Museum in Paris, because two paintings of Alfred Courmes were shown there: “"L'ex-voto to san Sebastian"”, 1935 and “San Sebastian at the Saint Martin waterlock”, 1974.

On January 12^th,2014, this exhibition closed its doors, a year has elapsed. That is the occasion to address you, or to reiterate my best wishes for the year to come, and to present again some of the paintings that you have seen all along the issues of this blog since September last.

The Orsay Museum exhibition, though differently appreciated in the press, has been a big success: 4500 viewers by day on average according to the Museum. In three months and a half, about 450 000 visitors have had the chance to see those two paintings of Courmes …!

At the same time, the Georges Pompidou Center, National museum of modern art in Paris,has decided to repatriate in its permanent collection the “San Sebastian” of 1934. It had been lent at end 2012 and early 2013 to the Leopold Museum in Vienna (Austria) for their exhibition “Nackte Männer”.

 A nice year end for Alfred Courmes !

 But the future looks also promising, some interesting projects are maturing:

 - An investment fund (fonds de dotation) kind of welfare foundation, within a legal frame, has been created for all those who would like to sustain the project to promote and keep alive the work of Alfred Courmes. You will be in a position to discover this fund and if you wish, to contribute after reading a next issue devoted to this idea (or contact me right away: ([e-mail])

 - Participating to exhibitions, organizing temporary exchange of paintings or creating personal exhibitions are subjects of reflexions. One project is nearly mature that you will discover in our next issue. On this occasion, I shall present a great Spanish artist, Eduardo Arroyo with his plans for an exhibition in Madrid, highlightening his work and accumulated experience.

 -  Finally, the blog will invite you all along the coming year with Oedipus, Thesee, Andromeda, the Sphinx … With Le Lavandou, birth place of Courmes on the Mediterranean sea, Ostende port in Belgium, Paris …Not forgetting Humour, Irreverential attitude, Independence …Together with portraits of artists friend of Alfred, or of collectors of his work.

 Next pages show some paintings that you have been able to discover in the blog since September last (classified by chronological order) . Titles under the reproductions are links to the issues devoted to them.

 

 

 

 

 

 "Hélène Courmes", 1921, oil on canvas (92 x 74 cm), Musée des Années Trente, Boulogne-Billancourt. ©adagp

 

 

 

 

"Peggy Guggenheim", 1926, oil on canvas (100 x 65 cm), French American museum of Blérancourt Castle ©adagp

 

 

 

 

 "Saint Sébastien", 1934, oil on canvas  (165 x 59 cm), National museum of Modern Art - Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. ©adagp

 

 

 

 

 

  

"The Virgin dressing the child Jesus”, 1935, oil on canvas (57 x 43 cm),  private ownership. ©adagp

 

 

 

 

 

 "L'ex-voto to San Sébastien", 1935, oil on canvas (146 x 120 cm)  private ownership.  ©adagp

 

 

 

 

 “ The Cyclops had only one eye, but it was the good one”, 1960,  oil on canvas (114 x 146 cm), FRAC Franche Comté,  ©adagp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 45% of B.A.,  oil on canvas 1961 (162 x 130 cm)  private ownership. ©adagp

 

 

 

 

 

"La pneumatique salutation angélique" 1968, oil on canvas, (82 x 100 cm), Fonds national d’art contemporain en dépôt au musée "La Piscine" à Roubaix.  ©adagp

 

 

 

One year has elapsed, a new one begins, to know more we invite you to the next issue devoted to Eduardo Arroyo.