HENRI OTTMANN

(French, 1877-1927)

AVANT LE BAIN

(Before the Bath)

Oil on Canvas

65 1/2 x 46 Inches

Signed Lower Left

Exhibited: Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 1928

Born in 1877 in the Loire Valley, Henri Ottmann first exhibited in the Salon de la Libre Esthétique in Brussels in 1904 and, beginning in 1905, at the Salon d’Automne, the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and the Salon des Tuileries. Benezit, which gives a signature sample in addition to his biographical information, calls him “…a delicate expressionist colorist filled with sensitivity…” Ottmann’s cityscapes of Paris, still-lives and figural works are all composed with a subtle elegance and painted in a dramatic, yet refined, palette. Henri Ottmann’s work is held in the permanent collections of numerous national museums including the Musée du Luxembourg (Paris), La Courtisane Endormie; and the Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville (Paris), Le Pont de Meulan. Benezit further says “…he became, and remains, a charming painter of women. It is in his nudes that he finds his most perfect expression.” We are pleased to offer this large and important figural work which was included in the 1928 retrospective exhibition at the Galeries George Petit and has, for many years, remained in a private collection in Japan. A masterpiece of color and form, this painting shows Ottmann at the peak of his talent and expressive power.

Reference:

Benezit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs, et Graveurs, Vol. 10,  p. 447; Thieme-Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Kunstler, Vol. 26, p. 90; Davenport’s Art Reference Guide, 2007/8 Edition, p. 1780; et al.