'Still Life with Apples and Banana' by Charles Kvapil (1933)
SKU 2465
A striking still life, oil on canvas (1933), by Charles Kvapil, the Belgian-born painter who rose to prominence in Paris during the early 20th century. This signed and dated composition depicts a grouping of apples and a banana arranged on a draped white cloth, set against a bold cobalt blue and rose-toned background. Kvapil’s confident brushwork and rich impasto lend a tactile vibrancy to the fruit, while his Fauvist-influenced palette brings freshness and light to a classical subject. By the 1930s, Kvapil was an established figure in the Parisian art world, exhibiting at the Salon d’Automne and alongside contemporaries such as Picasso and Derain. His works from this period reveal a synthesis of modernist colour sensibility with traditional themes. A superb and authentic example of Kvapil’s still life painting, embodying the vibrant colour and texture that characterise his mature style. The painting is in good overall condition having recently undergone a surface cleaning, retouching and varnishing by an art restoration professional. It is newly framed with a linen slip. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying the listing. Upon request a video can be provided.
About the Artist: Charles Kvapil (1884-1957) was born in Antwerp, Belgium, of Czech origin. He exhibited his first works there in 1908 at the Salon d'Anvers. After the war he attended l'Académie des Beaux-Arts in Antwerp and began to exhibit in Paris in 1920 at the Salon des Indépendants. Kvapil was known primarily as a painter of people, in particular of curvaceous nudes. He moved into a studio in Montmartre where he painted his models in the studio with Sacré Coeur as backdrop. He also painted in the countryside like the Impressionists. Kvapil's paintings are creative and modern; his nudes and bouquets of flowers are energetic and powerful. His palette is rich in cobalt blues and in fiery earth tones. His technique is intuitive and confident. Although his oils were often modestly presented on panels of wood or soft board, those formats did not detract from the evident talent he displayed nor from the joy exemplified in his paintings. His paintings are vigorously sought after when they become available at the international auction houses. He is now represented in many public and private collections including the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, in the museums of Le Havre, Rouen, Saint-Etienne, Amsterdam and Tunis. He exhibited in his lifetime in Paris, Munich, Brussels, Geneva, Rome, in Stockholm, London and New York.
Dimensions with frame:
H 44 cm / 17.3"
W 57 cm / 22.4"
Dimensions without frame:
H 33 cm / 13"
W 46 cm / 18.1"