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DESCRIPTION:
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An incredibly important and monumentally-sized painting by French master William Bouguereau entitled Alma Parens (The Motherland). This work is, without question, one of the most significant paintings we have ever offered in our gallery. An unparalleled composition depicting Mother France caring for her children, this painting dutifully illustrates why Bouguereau and his masterpieces are so highly coveted by museum curators and fine art collectors throughout the world. Once owned by actor Sylvester Stallone, this magnificent painting was sold by Sotheby’s in 1998.
Considered the finest of the French academic painters, Bouguereau’s works are among the most renowned of all 19th-century paintings. His works can be found in the Louvre and the Museé d’Orsay in Paris, the National Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. A work of this exceptional caliber and proportion almost never becomes available on the market and represents a rare opportunity to own a work by one of the most respected and decorated artists of all time. The work will appear in the forthcoming Bouguereau catalogue raisonné by Damien Bartoli with the assistance of Fred Ross of the the Bouguereau Committee and the Art Renewal Center.
Deeply influenced by the classical tradition, William Adolphe Bouguereau is immediately recognized for his amazing portraits idealizing the human figure. A student of the great Neoclassical artist Ingres, his painting technique boasts an unsurpassed degree of finish and luminous coloration, hallmarks of the French Academy. His handling of the female figure displays a unique sensitivity, upholding a faith in the timeless beauty of the classical tradition. Although widely known for his mythological and religious subjects, his paintings of tender mothers and children are considered his grandest creations.
Unpretentious and modest, Bouguereau became one of the most decorated artists of the 19th century. He received medals from the Salons and Universal Expositions, successive ranks, including Grand Master, of the prestigious Legion of Honor, and was the leading member of the Institute of France and President of the Society of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers. His art never deviated from the basic principles of Academic training, and he so dominated the Salons of the Third Republic that the official Salon became known unofficially as Le Salon Bouguereau. In addition to the accolades of the art world, Bouguereau received many prestigious commissions to decorate public buildings including the Grand Théâtre in Bordeaux and the chapels of Sainte Clothilde, Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Augustin in Paris. He also painted decorations for private mansions of the property entrepreneurs in Paris and his hometown of La Rochelle. Bouguereau’s paintings are immensely popular in the United States, evidenced by the fact that his works are a part of a number of museums and private collections throughout the country.
Artist’s Museums:
Louvre, Paris
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
National Gallery, London
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
New York Historical Society, New York
Boston Museum of Fine Art, Massachusetts
Palace of the Legion of Honour, San Francisco, California
Museum of Art, University of Michigan, Dearborn
The Chrysler Museum, Virginia
Philadelphia Museum of Arts, Pennsylvania
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois
The Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota
Frye Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana
San Antonio Museum of Art, Texas
Artist’s Exhibitions:
Salon, Paris (Jury Member)
Paris Exhibition Universelle
Société des Artistes Français (President)
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