Fourth Edition of A Moroccan Winter: Majorelle honoured on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his passing
 

The fourth edition of A Moroccan Winter will be held on the 30^th of December at 5pm. It is divided into three chapters: Majorelle & his Contemporaries, Modern & Contemporary Moroccan & International Art curated by Mehdi Hadj Khalifa, Contemporary African Art. Celebrating the work of Jacques Majorelle, modern and contemporary African art, this sale is a must for art lovers.

Chapter 1 - Majorelle & his Contemporaries: the subtlety of light.

Sixty years ago, on the 14^th of October 1962, Jacques Majorelle passed away. To commemorate this anniversary, Artcurial Maroc is bringing together a group of exceptional works by the master. A lover of light and Africa, a painter of kasbahs and the famous black nudes, his work remains a reference and a timeless source of inspiration to this day.

In 1910, Majorelle made his first trip to Egypt, where the discovery of a new light had a lasting influence on his work. Two works from this period will be offered for sale, including Portrait d'Egyptien estimated at MAD300,000 – 400,000 / €30,000 – 40,000.

Also up for auction is the sculptural and sensual Harmonie en noir, painted in 1933-1934, from the Baroness de Rothschild collection, estimated at MAD1,600,000-2,000,000 / €150,000-200,000. This piece is exceptional in that it belongs to a major part of the painter's oeuvre, the so-called “Black Nudes”, which began in 1931.

From the same period, the work Porteuses d'eau (Water Bearers), estimated at MAD400,000 – 600,000 / €40,000 – 60,000, is offered for sale, with the green gardens of Majorelle's villa in Marrakech as its inspiration.

Finally, we find Jacques Majorelle's favorite subjects notably through a magnificent kasbah entitled Effet de soir à Anemiter (1941) estimated at MAD1,200,000 – 1,800,000 / €120,000 – 180,000.

Kept in a private collection for over 70 years, the majestic Souk aux moutons crowns this chapter dedicated to the artist. This mixed technique on black paper, presented for the first time at auction, is estimated at MAD1,800,000 – 2,500,000 / €180,000 - 250,000.

Also offered for sale, in this chapter are four works by Eugène Girardet, including La récolte des dattes estimated at MAD400,000 – 600,000 / €40,000 – 60,000, five works by Etienne Dinet, a group of paintings by Edy Legrand, as well as works by José Cruz-Herrera and Rudolf Ernst.

Chapter 2 - Modern & Contemporary Moroccan & International Art: the gaze of Mehdi Hadj Khalifa.

Modern painting is not left out of this prestigious sale. Two oil paintings by Gharbaoui, including Composition (1959) estimated at MAD600,000 - 800,000 / €60,000 - 80,000, three works by Melehi, including Composition (1996) estimated at MAD700,000 - 1,000,000 / €70,000 - 100,000, as well as works by Cherkaoui, Glaoui and Rabi, will be offered at auction.

Curated by Mehdi Hadj Khalifa, a contemporary selection will feature works by Daifallah, Bourouissa, Iqbi, Selfati, Fatmi and Yamou. Other artists from the North African and Middle Eastern scene will be offered for sale, including a large gouache on paper by Baya, Femmes aux oiseaux (1990), as well as works by Lebanese painter Shafic Abboud, such as Composition (1958), put for sale at MAD100,000 - 150,000 / €10,000 - 15,000.

For its part, international modern and contemporary art will be represented by works by Combas, Chagall and JonOne.

Chapter 3 - Contemporary African Art

Within this chapter, there is an exceptional canvas measuring almost two metres by two metres (MAD950,000 - 1,200,000 / €95,000 - 120,000) by the painter Aboudia. The artist, of Ivorian origin, lives and works between New York and Abidjan; he represented the Ivory Coast at the Venice Biennale with a series of magnificent works, which was acclaimed by the market.

Winks at Western culture, a favourite theme of many African artists, will be introduced with works by the Congolese artist Tsham (MAD40,000 - 60,000 / €4,000 - 6,000) - who, with a Bic pen, confronts African statuary with icons from the arts and cinema - and works by the Nigerian artist Olamilekan Abatan (MAD60,000 - 80,000 / €6,000 - 8,000) - who takes up the theme of the Palace Guard inspired by Ludwig Deutsch.

Finally, two tapestries by the Angolan artist Ana Silva, who was noticed at the Dakar Biennial (MAD50,000 – 80,000 / €5,000 – 8,000), will be offered for sale.

Information
Exhibition

Marrakech
Tuesday 27^th December, 11am to 6pm
Wednesday 28^th December, 11am to 8pm
Thursday 29^th December, from 11am to 8pm
Friday 30^th December, from 11am to 1pm
La Mamounia, Marrakech

Auction
A Moroccan Winter
Friday 30^th December 2022 - 5pm
La Mamounia, Marrakech

Contact
Florence Conan
Tél. +33 1 42 99 16 15