WHYTE'S IRISH & INTERNATIONAL ART MONDAY 1 OCTOBER 2018 AT 6PM

IRISH & INTERNATIONAL ART · 1 OCTOBER 2018 AT 6PM 40 Renée Honta (French, 1894- 1955) NUDE STUDY, GIRL RESTING, c.1925 oil on canvas with Atelier O’Conor stamp on reverse 25.50 by 21.50in. (64.8 by 54.6cm) Provenance: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 7 February 1956; Private collection; with Bell Gallery, Belfast, 1988; Private collection The present work was painted in Roderic O’Conor’s Paris studio by Renée Honta who came from the historic city of Pau in the Départment of Aquitaine in Southwest France. She moved to Paris as a young woman but precisely when is not known. She found employment as a model in O’Conor’s Paris studio in Montparnasse on the left bank of the river Seine which he occupied for many years after leaving Brittany early in 1904 to live in the city. Although there was a considerable difference in their ages, a close relationship gradually developed between them. Renée initially became his mistress and they eventually married in 1933 at the Montparnasse Mairie. As their early relationship developed, O’Conor introduced Renée to the technique of oil painting, of which she had no previous experience, and they often worked together in his studio from the same subject, whether it was a portrait, a still-life or the unclothed figure. In this example of Renée’s work O’Conor is known to have painted the same subject in this identical pose, from a viewing position to the right of Renée’s view. His painting has been identified and was sold at a Christie’s auction in London on 15 March 1985, as lot 87 with the title ‘Seated Nude with Red Hair.’ The O’Conor atelier stamp verso confirms that this work was among the unsigned paintings from the joint studios of Roderic O’Conor and Renée Honta which were sold at auction at Hôtel Drouot in Paris on 7 February 1956 by Maitre Bellier with the assistance of Monsieur et Madame Jean Cailac. Roy Johnston Ph.D. August 2018 €1,000-€1,500 (£900-£1,350 approx.) Click Here for Large Images & To Bid Lot 40