Giovanni Boldini (December 31, 1842 – July 11, 1931) Italian painter and portraitist who lived and worked in Paris for much of his career. According to a 1933 article in Time magazine, he was known as the "Master of Swish" for his flowing style of painting.
Boldini was born in Ferrara, the son of a painter of religious subjects, and in 1862 went to Florence for six years to study and devote himself to painting. He only rarely attended classes at the Accademia di Belle Arti, but in Florence he met other realist painters known as the Macchiaioli, who were Italian forerunners of Impressionism. Their influence is seen in Boldini's landscapes which show spontaneous response to nature, although it is for portraits of him that he has become best known.
Moving to London, Boldini achieved success as a portrait painter. He completed portraits of leading members of society, including Lady Holland and the Duchess of Westminster. From 1872 he lived in Paris, where he became friends with Edgar Degas. He became the most fashionable portrait painter in Paris at the end of the 19th century, with an eye-catching painting style showing some Macchiaioli influence and a panache reminiscent of the work of younger artists such as John Singer Sargent and Paul Helleu. He was appointed commissioner of the Italian section of the Paris Exposition in 1889, and received the Legion of Honor for this appointment. In 1897 he had a one-man show in New York. He participated in the Venice Biennale in 1895, 1903, 1905 and 1912. He died in Paris on July 11, 1931.
A Boldini portrait of his former muse Marthe de Florian, a French actress, was discovered in a Paris apartment in late 2010, hidden from view in the premises that hadn't been visited for 70 years. The portrait was never listed, exhibited or published and the flat belonged to De Florian's niece who went to live in southern France at the outbreak of World War II and never returned. A love note and a biographical reference to the work painted in 1888, when the actress was 24, confirmed its authenticity. A full-length portrait of the lady in the same clothes and accessories, but less provocative, hangs in the New Orleans Museum of Art.
The discovery of his painting in the empty 70-year-old apartment forms the backdrop for Michelle Gable's 2014 novel A Paris Apartment.
Investment value ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Boldini's works preferred by collecting are those that portray bourgeois women immersed in very sensual contexts. The portraits of her well characterized by the fluid and at the same time incisive brushstroke give the figuration a distinctive sign. The works can also reach very high values that hardly lose value on the market.
How much is his work worth?
We offer the most recent awards that mainly concern fascinating, sensual and at the same time modern women. That world of Parisian life so loved by the Ferrarese painter and collectors.
Clearing price: €154.228 (£140.000) Price including charges: €192.785 (£175.000) Estimate: €77.114 – €110.162 (£70.000 – £100.000) Christie's , 29/07/2020London, United Kingdom
Enrolled by the artist's wife Emilia Cardona 'no. 9 at. Boldini/Emilia Boldini Cardona/1931' / versoNotes: Dini, III, 382Origin: Atelier Boldini, erroneously listed as no. 9B. Private collection, Florence, and by descent to the present owner Exhibition: Rome, Galleria D'Arte Renato Attanasio, 100 Boldini, 1951, no. 73. Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André, Boldini (1842-1931), March-May 1963, no. 198.
Clearing price: €61.183 (£55.000) Price including charges: €76.478 (£68.750) Estimate: €66.745 – €88.993 (£60.000 – £80.000)Christie's , 11/07/2019London, United Kingdom qq
Notes: Panconi p.595. Provenance: Atelier Boldini, no. 92T. Enrico Piceni, Milan. Mr. and Mrs. Lee Hills, Detroit. Detroit Institute of Arts (gift from the above), Detroit. Their sale; Christie's, New York, 23 April 2002, lot 6. Acquired at the above sale by the present ownerExposure: New York, Wildenstein & Co., A Loan Exhibition of Degas for the Benefit of the New York Infirmary, 7 April-14 May 1949, no. 38.d
Clearing price: €38.910 (£35.000) Price including charges: €48.637 (£43.750)Estimate: €38.910 – €55.585 (£35.000 – £50.000) Sotheby's, 09/07/2019London, United Kingdom, provenance : Guillaume de Gontaut-Biron, marquis de Biron, Paris and Geneva (Gontaut-Biron (1859-1939) was an avid collector of Old Masters and nineteenth-century art. In 1914 over three hundred works from his collection were sold at Galerie Georges Petit, Paris.A portrait in black chalk of the marquis by Boldini is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (no. 1979.183)); Gerard de Soriol; Purchased from the above by the father of the present owner in 1996; thence by descent.
Clearing price: €55.587 (£50.000) Price including charges: €69.483 (£62.500)Estimate: €55.587 – €77.821 (£50.000 – £70.000) Sotheby's, 09/07/2019London, United Kingdom
Origin: Guillaume de Gontaut-Biron, marquis de Biron, Paris and Geneva (Gontaut-Biron (1859-1939) was an avid collector of Old Masters and nineteenth-century art. In 1914 over three hundred works from his collection were sold at Galerie Georges Petit, Paris A portrait in black chalk of the marquis by Boldini is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (no. 1979.183)) Gérard de Soriol Purchased from the above in 1996 by the father of the present owner; thence by descent
Clearing price: €116.732 (£105.000) Price including charges: €145.915 (£131.250) Estimate: €66.704 – €88.938 (£60.000 – £80.000)Sotheby's, 09/07/2019London, United Kingdom
Signed “Boldini” lower rightNotes: Camesasca 290; Doria 378; P & F Dini, III, 716Origin: Galleria La Fenice, Venice Private collection, Milan; then by descent to the present owner.
Clearing price: €1.052.896 (£900.000) Price including charges: €1.276.636 (£1.091.250) Estimate: €935.907 – €1.403.861 (£800.000 – £1.200.000) Christie's , 27/02/2019London, United Kingdom. Fsigned dated 'Boldini 1889' lower leftNotes: Panconi 71Origin: Mme Briere, by July 1946. Private collection, Paris. Anonymous sale, Christian Denesle, Hôtel George V, Paris, 25 March 1995, lot 50. Christopher Wood Gallery, London. Acquired from the above.
Clearing price: €100.099 (£90.000) Price including charges: €125.123 (£112.500) Estimate: €66.732 – €88.976 (£60.000 – £80.000)Christie's , 13/12/2018London, UK. Signed “Boldini” lower right.
Clearing price: €90.000 Price including expenses: €112.500 Estimate: €100.000 – €150.000 Sotheby's , 21/06/2018Paris, France. preventual: The Artist's studio ; Purchasde at the 1936 exhibition by Jacques Visseaux, Lyon, grandfather of the current owner; Thence by descentExposure: Galerie Charpentier, Paris, June 1936, n°70
