'Au Lapin Agile' by V.R. (circa 1940s - 1960s)

'Au Lapin Agile', oil on board, by V.R. (circa 1940s - 1960s). The 'Lapin Agile' is a renown cabaret and bar that opened its doors in 1860 in the Montmartre neighbourhood of Paris. It was named after the new owner, André Gill, put in place a new sign for the business which showed a hatted-rabbit (lapin) balancing a bottle of wine as he jumped out of a sauce pan. Not long afterwards, neighbourhood residents began to call the place “Gill’s Rabbit”, or Le Lapin à Gill in French. This shortly morphed into Au Lapin Agile, which is quite fitting as it translates to 'the Nimble Rabbit' and a play-on-words in French. Many well known artists frequented the bar and chose it as a subject for a painting. Most notably are Picasso and Utrillo. As our gallery has access to a cache of paintings from Berlin in the 1940s - 1960s, I simply imagine this to be the title given by the artist with initials, V.R. as homage to an era in Paris they may have known or dreamed about. Several galleries have acquired and are now selling VR's works which speaks to the widespread assessment of the quality and interest of the art. Clearly inspired by the cubist works of Braque, Gris and Picasso, it consists of colourful geometric shapes, bold lines and angles which combine to form a bold yet proportionate composition. In good vintage condition commensurate with age, in new frame with elegant linen slip insert. Initialed by the artist, 'V.R.' in lower lefthand corner. A short video clip of this work will be provided upon request.

Dimensions with frame:

H 41.5 cm / 16.3"

W 37 cm / 14.6"

Dimensions without frame:

H 28.5 cm / 11.2"

W 23.5 cm / 9.3"