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Andre Lhote (French, 1885 – 1962)

Leda and the swan

Pen on paper

Signed with a dedication ‘Cher et munificent Renault, voila dans quel…Leda vous nous mettez avec vos repas trop copieux. Avec amitie’ (lower right)

9.5/8 x 12.3/4in.

Provenance: from the collection of General Victor Tanguy, acquired from the restorer and gallery owner Camille Renault. The drawing was given to Renault by the artist in a bar where it is likely it was executed.

Andre Lhote was a French cubist painter. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Bordeaux studying sculpture until 1904 when he began painting there. He was influenced by Gauguin and Cezanne. Initially painting in a Fauvist style but shifted towards Cubism joining the Section d’Or group in 1912 along side Albert Gleizes, Villon, Duchamp, Metzinger, Picabia and La Fresnaye. He became an art tutor after the Great War, his students include Cartier Bresson and Tamara de Lempicka, amongst others. Unesco appointed him president of the International Association of Painters, Engravers and Sculptors. This example shows what a wonderful flair for drawing line that encapsulates the style of the period.