Maisons du port, Saint-Tropez by Paul Signac (estimate $8/12 million) is a striking Pointillist painting from 1882. With the inscription Op.237, which characterizes an important period of the artist, during which he indicated his works with 'an opus number,' as a musician would with his musical composition.
Maisons du port, Saint-Tropez has been part of the family collection of Ambassador John Langeloth Loeb, Jr. since his parents bought it in 1958 and will appear at auction for the first time on May 9 in New York.
Signac and other Neo-Impressionist painters were direct inspiration for the explosive work of the Fauves. These artists have imbued their compositions with bold and highly expressive colors in a handful of years that have had great influence since the early twentieth century.
Only four major Fauve works have been seen at auction since 2010, when Sotheby's set a new benchmark for the art movement.
Therefore, it is exceptionally rare that Sotheby's in the May 9 auction in New York can offer two masterpieces: Les Voiles rouges by André Derain (estimate 15/20 million euro) and Sous-bois by Maurice de Vlaminck (12/18 million EUR). Both paintings were acquired in 1954 by patron and philanthropist Sarah Campbell Blaffer of Houston, Texas and come from the family collection.
