Nicolas de STAËL

Original portrait of Nicolas de Staël signed by Denise Colomb

Silver pint portrait of Nicolas de Staël by Denise Colomb. Later print made by the photographer in the 1990s from her 1954 negatives.
Signed by Denise Colomb in the lower right-hand corner. On the back: "N. D. S. 1954" with a signed inscription by Denise Colomb to photographer Serge Tamagnot: "Pour mon cher ami Serge/ Le roi des collages. Denise Colomb 7-5-2000 Bon anniversaire à Serge, je penserai à toi le 9 mai" (For my friend Serge/The king of collages. Denise Colomb 7-5-2000 Happy birthday Serge, I'll be thinking of you on May 9).
An exceptional picture of the painter, eyes lost in the distance, in his Parisian atelier rue Gauguet one year before his death. Sitting in front of one of his works, we see the piling up of the painter's canvases in the room behind him.
The photograph was taken by Denise Colomb, great portraitist of the 20th century, known for her portraits of Antonin Artaud, Giacometti, Picasso, Soulages and Miro in their studio.
“It is said that his workshop was the cave of a palaeontological potter. With sediment, layers of paleo... A crucible, a large material well, riddled with pigments, paintbrushes, pots of plastered trowels, buckets, rags. In a strong smell of turpentine. A workshop covered, soiled, stained with dirt, with masonry clay. Its wingspan, its strength, its topsail height springs into this crater of Vesuvius. Slightly disoriented, he leans, he pours. To paint, for him, is to be prey to vertigo, to unpredictable, accidental, chance junctions. (Patrick Grainville, Les Yeux de Milos).

Original photographic portrait of Nicolas de Staël in his atelier.
Paris n.d. (circa 1954), photo: 14,5x20,4cm ; leaf : 18,2x24cm.
Original silver print portrait of Nicolas de Staël by Denise Colomb.
The painter sits in his Parisian atelier in rue Gauget, one year before his death.
The photograph was taken by Denise Colomb, great portraitist of the 20th century, known for her portraits of Antonin Artaud, Giacometti, Picasso, Soulages and Miro in their studio.

“It is said that his workshop was the cave of a palaeontological potter. With sediment, layers of paleo... A crucible, a large material well, riddled with pigments, paintbrushes, pots of plastered trowels, buckets, rags. In a strong smell of turpentine. A workshop covered, soiled, stained with dirt, with masonry clay. Its wingspan, its strength, its topsail height springs into this crater of Vesuvius. Slightly disoriented, he leans, he pours. To paint, for him, is to be prey to vertigo, to unpredictable, accidental, chance junctions. (Patrick Grainville, Les Yeux de Milos).

Original photographic portrait of Nicolas de Staël sitting in front of one of his paintings
Paris s.d. (circa 1954), photograph: 17.4 x 20.4cm; leaf: 18.2 x 24cm

Original silver print portrait of Nicolas de Staël by Denise Colomb.
Beautiful candid shot of the painter, preparing to speak, in his atelier in rue Gauget in Paris, one year before his death. Seated in front of one of his works, we see the piling up of the painter's canvases in the room behind him.
The photograph was taken by Denise Colomb, great portraitist of the 20th century, known for her portraits of Antonin Artaud, Giacometti, Picasso, Soulages and Miro in their studio.

“It is said that his workshop was the cave of a palaeontological potter. With sediment, layers of paleo... A crucible, a large material well, riddled with pigments, paintbrushes, pots of plastered trowels, buckets, rags. In a strong smell of turpentine. A workshop covered, soiled, stained with dirt, with masonry clay. Its wingspan, its strength, its topsail height springs into this crater of Vesuvius. Slightly disoriented, he leans, he pours. To paint, for him, is to be prey to vertigo, to unpredictable, accidental, chance junctions. (Patrick Grainville, Les Yeux de Milos).

Original photographic portrait of Nicolas de Staël in his atelier.
Paris n.d. (circa 1954), photo: 19,1x29cm ; leaf: 20,5x30,5cm.
Exceptional original silver print portrait of Nicolas de Staël by Denise Colomb.
A small tear in the lower part of the leaf, not affecting the photograph.
Large format picture of the painter, eyes lost in the distance, in his Parisian atelier rue Gauguet one year before his death. Sitting in front of one of his works, we see the piling up of the painter's canvases in the room behind him.
The photograph was taken by Denise Colomb, great portraitist of the 20th century, known for her portraits of Antonin Artaud, Giacometti, Picasso, Soulages and Miro in their studio.
“It is said that his workshop was the cave of a palaeontological potter. With sediment, layers of paleo... A crucible, a large material well, riddled with pigments, paintbrushes, pots of plastered trowels, buckets, rags. In a strong smell of turpentine. A workshop covered, soiled, stained with dirt, with masonry clay. Its wingspan, its strength, its topsail height springs into this crater of Vesuvius. Slightly disoriented, he leans, he pours. To paint, for him, is to be prey to vertigo, to unpredictable, accidental, chance junctions. (Patrick Grainville, Les Yeux de Milos).

Original view of Nicolas de Staël's atelier
Paris n.d. (circa 1954), 24,2x31,1cm, one leaf.
Original silver print photograph of Nicolas de Staël's atelier by Denise Colomb.
Traces of folds, small pieces of paper missing in the lower left corner.
Splendid "still life" in large format of the painter's Parisian atelier rue Gauguet, taken one year before his death. His masterpieces are jumbled together with firewood and numerous pots of paint.
The photograph was taken by Denise Colomb, great portraitist of the 20th century, known for her portraits of Antonin Artaud, Giacometti, Picasso, Soulages and Miro in their studio.
“It is said that his workshop was the cave of a palaeontological potter. With sediment, layers of paleo... A crucible, a large material well, riddled with pigments, paintbrushes, pots of plastered trowels, buckets, rags. In a strong smell of turpentine. A workshop covered, soiled, stained with dirt, with masonry clay. Its wingspan, its strength, its topsail height springs into this crater of Vesuvius. Slightly disoriented, he leans, he pours. To paint, for him, is to be prey to vertigo, to unpredictable, accidental, chance junctions. (Patrick Grainville, Les Yeux de Milos).

Original view of Nicolas de Staël's atelier with his palette and three paintings
Paris n.d. (circa 1954), photo:17,3x12,2cm ; leaf: 24x18,2cm.
Original silver print photograph of Nicolas de Staël's atelier by Denise Colomb.
Small trace of rust on the upper right corner.
Charming view of the painter's atelier, 7 rue Gauguet in Paris, taken one year before his death. Featuring his palette as well as two paintings from his Flowers series (1952-1953), and an abstract composition on the right.
Taken by Denise Colomb, great portraitist of the 20th century known for her portraits of Antonin Artaud, Giacometti, Picasso, Soulages and Miro in their studios.
“It is said that his workshop was the cave of a palaeontological potter. With sediment, layers of paleo... A crucible, a large material well, riddled with pigments, paintbrushes, pots of plastered trowels, buckets, rags. In a strong smell of turpentine. A workshop covered, soiled, stained with dirt, with masonry clay. Its wingspan, its strength, its topsail height springs into this crater of Vesuvius. Slightly disoriented, he leans, he pours. To paint, for him, is to be prey to vertigo, to unpredictable bifurcations of accident, of chance. (Patrick Grainville, Les Yeux de Milos)

Original view of Nicolas de Staël's atelier with his palette and brushes
Paris n.d. (circa 1954), photograph :17,3x12,2cm ; leaf : 24x18,2cm.
Original silver print photograph of Nicolas de Staël's atelier by Denise Colomb.
Intimate view of the painter's atelier, 7 rue Gauguet in Paris, taken one year before his death. In the background is one of his paintings from his famous series Flowers (1952-1953).
Taken by Denise Colomb, great portraitist of the 20th century known for her portraits of Antonin Artaud, Giacometti, Picasso, Soulages and Miro in their studios.
“It is said that his workshop was the cave of a palaeontological potter. With sediment, layers of paleo... A crucible, a large material well, riddled with pigments, paintbrushes, pots of plastered trowels, buckets, rags. In a strong smell of turpentine. A workshop covered, soiled, stained with dirt, with masonry clay. Its wingspan, its strength, its topsail height springs into this crater of Vesuvius. Slightly disoriented, he leans, he pours. To paint, for him, is to be prey to vertigo, to unpredictable bifurcations of accident, of chance. (Patrick Grainville, Les Yeux de Milos)

Set of 11 original photographs of Nicolas de Staël's studio by Denise Colomb, in period printing.

Small fold marks at the corners of some photographs.

Superb views of the building housing the painter's studio, at 7 rue Gauguet in Paris, taken one year before his tragic end. The cracked and textured walls bear a striking resemblance to his "brushed, indeed masoned painting" (Marcelin Pleynet and Michel Seuphor), those knife-applied impastos that had considerable influence on abstract painting in the second half of the century.

The photographs were taken by Denise Colomb, great portraitist of the 20th century, who immortalized Antonin Artaud, and created spectacular views of the studios of Giacometti, Picasso, Soulages and Miro.

"They say his studio was a paleontological potter's cave. With sediments, paleolithic layers... A crucible, a great material well, riddled with pigments, brushes, pots of plastered trowels, buckets, rags. In a strong smell of turpentine. A studio gorged, soiled, plumed with grime, the pastes of masonry. His span, his strength, his topgallant height soar in this Vesuvius crater. Slightly off course, he leans, he pours. To paint, for him, is to be prey to vertigo, to unpredictable bifurcations of accident, of chance." (Patrick Grainville, Les Yeux de Milos).

Original black and white photographs of 3 Nicolas de Staël's paintings
Paris n.d. (circa 1954), two nudes: 33x23cm ; flowers and nude painting: 24x30,5cm, three leaves.
Set of 3 original silver prints of Nicolas de Staël's paintings by Denise Colomb.
Folds and small tears to the margins of the photo featuring two nudes. Traces left by a typed paper to the margins of the flower painting. Darker traces and folds to the margins of the standing nude.
Photos of de Staël's paintings taken in the painter's Parisian atelier rue Gauguet, one year before his death: a painting from his famous Flowers series (1953-1954), as well as two paintings of nudes, a subject that became a leitmotiv in his work from 1951 until his death in 1955.
Taken by Denise Colomb, great portraitist of the 20th century known for her portraits of Antonin Artaud, Giacometti, Picasso, Soulages and Miro in their studios.

Set of 8 photographs of Nicolas de Staël's family circa 1942-1944, in original silver gelatin prints.

The photographs were taken around 1944, two years after the birth of Anne de Stäel, daughter of the painter and his companion, the artist Jeannine Guillou. In September 1943, the family consisting of Anne and young Antek (future writer known under the name Antoine Tudal), son from Jeannine Guillou's previous marriage, arrived in Paris and settled, thanks to the friendship of gallerist Jeanne Bucher, at 54, rue Nollet, in the private mansion of architect Pierre Chareau. Staël transformed the large ground-floor salon into a studio where he devoted himself entirely to abstraction characterized by interlaced geometric lines, rhythming a dark canvas.

- Portrait of the complete family (Nicolas de Staël, Jeannine Guillou holding Anne in her arms, Antek Teslar aged 14), in front of the private mansion on rue Nollet
- Jeannine Guillou and Anne in the garden of the private mansion on rue Nollet
- Jeannine smiling, holding Anne in her arms, rue Nollet.
- Jeannine smiling, holding Anne in her arms in front of a Moroccan decor, rue Nollet.
- Reproduction of Jeannine Guillou's identity photograph, in profile.
- View of the interior facade of the private mansion on rue Nollet.
- Jeannine Guillou in beach costume
- Contact sheet with two of the previous photographs, as well as two others showing Antek Teslar studying in the attic of the private mansion (25.2x20.4cm).

Second edition, one of the 950 numbered copies on vergé, only draw after 50 Arches paper.
Autographed and dated autographed from René Char to Gaetan Picon.
Backs and boards slightly and marginally insolated.