PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR (1841-1919) Portrait de Charles Le Coeur signed 'Renoir' (center left) oil on canvas 12 3/16 x 9 7/16 in (31 x 24 cm) Painted in 1874 Footnotes: This work will be included in the forthcoming Pierre-Auguste Renoir Digital Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc. This work will be included in the second supplement to the Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles de Renoir, currently being prepared by Guy-Patrice and Floriane Dauberville. Provenance Gabrielle Renard-Slade Collection, Cagnes & Los Angeles (a gift from the artist). John Slade Collection, Beverly Hills (by descent from the above circa 1959). Thence by descent to the present owner. Exhibited Los Angeles, Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Renoir, 1841-1919, September 15 - October 15, 1943, no. 30 (titled 'Portrait of M. Lecoeur'). San Francisco, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, Paintings by Pierre Auguste Renoir, November 1-30, 1944 (titled 'Portrait of a Man' and dated '1870'). Literature J. MacAgy, 'Birthday Show at the Legion of Honor Palace,' in Artnews 43, November 1-14, 1944, no. 14 (illustrated p. 15; titled 'Portrait of M. Lecoeur' and dated '1870'). F. Daulte, Auguste Renoir, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Vol. I, Figures, 1860-1890, Lausanne, 1971, no. 100 (illustrated). Albeit the youngest of the Impressionists, Renoir was a leading member of the movement who swiftly became known for his intimate portraits and snapshots of modern life in the 1870s. Whilst Monet found his calling in the now iconic depictions of the landscapes of his environs, Renoir remained intently committed to the medium of portraiture throughout his career and in this subject he found great commercial success. Portrait de Charles Le Coeur was painted in 1874, the year the Impressionists were formed and in which Renoir exhibited six paintings at the First Impressionist Exhibition in April. Due to his young age and lacking finances in a time before he received a steadier flow of commissions, Renoir often found his sitters amongst his newfound social circles. Whilst he himself was not from an affluent family, his connection to younger patrons and wealthy artistic comrades, such as Frédéric Bazille, allowed him to gain entry. These sitters were often members of Paris's high society, for whom life was generally a blissful blur of leisurely activities such as boating, dancing and general merriment in the absence of gainful employment. With little else to occupy their time, Renoir could often persuade them to sit for him, unknowingly facilitating the development of one of art history's greatest painters. The present work depicts Charles Le Coeur, a Parisian aristocrat, architect and one of Renoir's earliest supporters before his success truly progressed under the patronage of Georges and Marguerite Charpentier in 1876-1879. Sadly, the relationship was cut short with Renoir making an advance towards Le Coeur's young daughter in the form of a love letter, bringing an end to both a friendship and patronage that had lasted a decade. Both Charles and his brother, Jules Le Coeur, had supported the blossoming artist in his formative years, noted by Douglas Cooper as having offered both 'moral support and encouragement...during those bleak years' of Renoir's early career. Perhaps the most famous of these portraits is that which sits in the collection of the Musee d'Orsay. It presents Le Coeur in the garden of his home at Fontenay-aux-Roses, the sign behind him, which reads 'Ô Galand Jard' (Oh gallant gardener), is a subtle but charming dedication by the artist to his friend. Standing in a contrapposto stance looking back at the artist, tastefully clothed in a summer suit with bowtie and hat, a cigarette balanced between his figures, the elegant gentleman is an embodiment of Renoir's elite social scene at the time. Aside from portraits of family members, Le Coeur also commissioned Renoir during the design of some of his architectural projects. The most notable was that of the Romanian prince Georges Bibesco's hôtel particulier at 22, Boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg, for which Renoir produced a series of ceiling designs between 1868-1872. An homage to Renoir's early artistic influences, these were noted by Cooper to have been 'one in the manner of Tiepolo, the other of Fragonard' (D. Cooper, 'Renoir, Lise and the Le Coeur Family: A Study of Renoir's Early Development-II: The Le Coeurs', in The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 101, no. 678/679, London, September - October, 1959, p. 326). It portrays an interesting moment of the bridging of the gap between art, architecture and decoration, and of Le Coeur's active engagement with pushing the artist into new territory. Further cementing his importance to the artist, a dedicated exhibition, Charles Le Coeur (1830-1906): An Architect and Early Admirer of Renoir, was held at the Musee d'Orsay in 1996-1997 under the guidance of Marc Le Coeur. Aside from its notable sitter, Portrait de Charles Le Coeur presents the iconic Renoir handling that defined his early career. Pieced together with rapid, gestural brushwork, typical of his Impressionistic style in the mid-to-late 1870s, the figure emerges through a delicate and precise structural form. His careful yet youthfully free application of paint creates an immediacy and a beauty that was revolutionary at the time and defined a generation of artists. We see clearly Renoir's intent to capture the shifting colors and lights of the moment, likely painting en-plein-air with his sitter to allow him to work and update the image with the subtly shifting variations of the world around him and with an unmatched fluidity. His palette choice of greens, blues, pinks and yellows creates a warmth and ethereal presence for which his oeuvre became so well-known. They are reminiscent of the gentle flecks of light in the water and trees of the genteel boating parties; the bouquets of blooming flowers; and the rosy cheeks of his female models. Leaving his outer canvas unpainted yet marking the work with his signature, we see a defiance in the young artist and a confidence in his intention to disrupt heretofore traditional methods, a pioneer of a new medium. Despite Renoir's devotion to the medium of portraiture, portraits of male patrons aside from those of his sons are rarely seen at auction, particularly from such an important moment in the young Impressionist's development. Thus, this work, which has remained hidden for so many years and only known by Francois Daulte's black and white illustration in his 1971 catalogue raisonné, presents a remarkable opportunity to acquire a Renoir painting with not only unparalleled and unique provenance, but also a rare piece from one of the artist's most important periods. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing