(Paris 1928–1999)
Bouquet dans un vase de Gallé, signed and dated
Bernard Buffet 1998, oil on canvas, 65 x 50.1 cm, framed

This work is recorded in the Maurice Garnier Archives.

Provenance:
Carel Gallery, Miami Beach (by 2003)
Opera Gallery, Miami
acquired from the above by the previous owner, c. 2007
Christie’s New York, 16 May 2018, lot 443
acquired from the above by the present owner –
European Private Collection

Best known for his representational works, Buffet’s paintings are often graphic, figurative and central in their compositions. Adamantly opposed to anything “abstract”, he fervently argued for the social importance of a more representational rendering of art,
at a time when Abstraction was increasingly dominating the conversation among critics. Buffet produced many variations on the theme of flowers in a vase, with the aim of testing his technical ability to paint the same subject with a different result as unique as flowers varied in their composition. The energy and vigour with which he depicted each floral scene reflect Buffet’s evident delight in the beauty of the natural world, and perhaps a latent desire to escape the monotony of everyday urban life. www.operagallery.com