'Still Life with Fruit Bowl and Gitanes' by J. Aira (c. 1940s)
'Still Life with Fruit Bowl and Gitanes' (c. 1940s), gouache on paper, by J. Aira. Acquired in the south of France, this vibrant gouache is not the most PC artwork given its focus, but it is absolutely alluring nonetheless. Greens, blues and yellows dominate the colour scheme. Pears, apples and bananas in a glass bowl contrast with cigarette stubs and ashes in a modern blue ashtray. French Gitanes cigarettes, with their particularly cool allure and trademark blue packaging, lean on the ashtray. Smokers of Gitanes were making a statement that says one likes life unfiltered, jazz-scored and a little bit Left Bank. And so does this painting. It's cool. The original frame flaunts its characterful ageing with cracks and chips adding to the overall charm of the work. The painting itself is in excellent vintage condition commensurate with its age.
Dimensions with frame:
H 32 cm
W 39.5 cm
Dimensions without frame:
H 22 cm
W 29.5 cm