267
Jean Hugo
(French, 1894-1984)
Terrasse de Café à Sète, 1939
Estimate: $1,000-$1,500
Sold
$5,500
Live Auction
What Do You See? The Collection of Sidney Rothberg, Part IV
Location
Philadelphia
Size
sheet size: 11 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. (29.2 x 20.6cm)
Description
Jean Hugo
(French, 1894-1984)
Terrasse de Café à Sète, 1939
gouache on paper
signed Jean Hugo (lower right)
sheet size: 11 1/2 x 8 1/8 in. (29.2 x 20.6cm)
The Collection of Sidney Rothberg, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
This lot is located in Philadelphia.
Condition
Framed: 19 x 15 x 2 in.The work is in overall good condition. The paper is adhered to the mat at the top two corners verso, but one has come detached. Verso bears an inscription: 'N°2.' The edges of the paper are worn and have small losses along the extreme edges, which are not visible when matted. There is some soiling in the blue door at center left. There are scattered points of foxing visible verso. Additional images available upon request.
Signature
signed Jean Hugo (lower right)
Provenance
Provenance:The Artist.Acquired directly from the above.Collection of Hubert de Saint Senoch, Monaco.His Sale, Sotheby's, Monaco, sale of December 6, 1992, lot 390.Acquired directly from the above sale.Lot Note:To learn more about the artist in this sale, please refer to Lots 29, 76 and 93 in The Collection of Sidney Rothberg, Part III (June 24). For other works by the artist this sale, please see Lots 248, 260, 268, 269, 368 and 369. Ten works by Jean Hugo are available across the two-days sale. Lot Essay:Jean Hugo first discovered Sète in 1939, when he was briefly stationed there as a captain in the 81st Infantry Regiment at the onset of World War II. Captivated by the distinctive Mediterranean light and the vibrant atmosphere of the city, Hugo formed an immediate and lasting connection to the city, which remained a continual source of inspiration for him. As exemplified bu the present Lot, the artist was particularly drawn to the harbor, which he captured numerous times from different vantage points.In 1971, he became closely associated with the Montpellier-Sète artists' group, founded by Gabriel Couderc and François Desnoyer, and exhibited nine works in their annual exhibition held at the Musée Fabre and Galerie Frédéric Bazille in Montpellier. The importance of Sète in Jean Hugo’s oeuvre was recently reaffirmed by the Musée Paul Valéry, which devoted a major retrospective to the artist in 2024, titled Jean Hugo: Between Heaven and Earth, celebrating the poetic depth of his landscapes and his enduring bond with the region.