Image

Constant Nieuwenhuys-Cyrano de Bergerac, 1977

Photographer

Tom Haartsen

Cyrano de Bergerac

1977
Late period
paper
watercolour
Collection unknown

CID

6356

Only available in black and white.

Cyrano de Bergerac is a play written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand. There was a real Cyrano de Bergerac, and the play is a fictionalisation following the broad outlines of his life. Hercule Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, a cadet (nobleman serving as a soldier) in the French Army, is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents. In addition to being a remarkable duelist, he is a gifted, joyful poet and is also a musical artist. However, he has an obnoxiously large nose, which causes him to doubt himself. This doubt prevents him from expressing his love for his distant cousin, the beautiful and intellectual Roxane, as he believes that his ugliness would prevent him the "dream of being loved by even an ugly woman."

The entire play is written in verse, in rhyming couplets of twelve syllables per line, very close to the classical alexandrine form, but the verses sometimes lack a caesura. It is also meticulously researched, down to the names of the members of the Académie française and the dames précieuses glimpsed before the performance in the first scene.

The play has been translated and performed many times, and is responsible for introducing the word "panache" into the English language.Cyrano (the character) is in fact famed for his panache, and he himself makes reference to "my panache" in the play. The two most famous English translations are those by Brian Hooker and Anthony Burgess.

    Signed/dated

    Signed, dated and titled Constant '77 Cyrano de Bergerac, bottom right in pencil

    Provenance

    1977 Constant
    Tags
    Literature
    Man
    Poet
    Poetry
    Portrait

    Frame dimensions

    No

    Image

    Constant Nieuwenhuys-4 dessins préparatoires pour Casanova-1, 1975

    Photographer

    Tom Haartsen

    Image

    Image

    4 dessins préparatoires pour Casanova-02

    1975
    Late period
    30,0cm
    x 32,5cm
    ink
    paper
    Collection Aaron Shatzman and Karen Kaplan, USA

    CID

    4342

      English title

      4 Drawings in preparation for Casanova-02

      Signed/dated

      Signed Constant, bottom center in ink

      Provenance

      1975 Constant
      Collection Galerie Jaski, Amsterdam
      Collection unknown
      2019 Private collection, USA (Millon Auction, Bruxelles)
      Tags
      Erotica
      Flower
      Guitar
      Literature
      Love
      Man
      Nude
      Penis
      Woman

      Frame dimensions

      No

      Image

      Constant Nieuwenhuys-Homère, ca 1980

      Photographer

      Tom Haartsen

      Homère

      1980
      Late period
      59,5cm
      x 45,0cm
      paper
      watercolour
      Private collection, NL

      CID

      2359

      Circa 1980

        English title

        Homer

        Alternate titles

        Homerus
        1981

        Signed/dated

        Signed Constant, bottom right in black watercolor

        Provenance

        1980 ca Constant
        Collection Adèle van Rijckevorsel, NL (gift)
        2017 Collection heirs Adèle van Rijckevorsel, NL
        Tags
        Art
        Literature
        Man
        Myth
        People
        Poet
        Portrait

        Frame dimensions

        No

        Image

        Constant Nieuwenhuys-Portrait de Moravigine, 1979

        Photographer

        Tom Haartsen

        Portrait de Moravagine

        1979
        Late period
        38,5cm
        x 30,5cm
        paper
        watercolour
        Private collection, NL

        CID

        2355

        Moravagine is a Blaise Cendrars (1887–1961) novel, published by Grasset en 1926. It is[1] a complex opus, with a central figure (the Moravagine character) like a dark persona of the author which he gets rid of through writing. Its genesis took a decade (with Cendrars hinting at it as early as 1917) and Cendrars never stopped working on it. In 1956, the author somewhat rewrote the text, added a postface and a section titled "Pro domo: How I wrote Moravagine". In its ultimate revision, Cendrars says the book is definitely incomplete, as it was meant to be a preface to a "complete works of Moravagine" that are not there.

         

          English title

          Portrait of Moravagine

          Signed/dated

          Signed and titled Constant Portrait de Moravagine, bottom right in red gouache

          Provenance

          1979 Constant
          Collection Adèle van Rijckevorsel, NL (gift)
          2017 Collection Maurits Kruseman, NL (heirs Adèle van Rijckevorsel, NL)
          Tags
          Art
          Literature
          Man
          Portrait

          Frame dimensions

          No

          Image

          Constant Nieuwenhuys-D.A.F. De Sade vers la fin de sa vie, 1978

          Photographer

          Tom Haartsen

          D.A.F. De Sade vers la fin de sa vie

          1978
          Late period
          39,0cm
          x 30,0cm
          paper
          watercolour
          Private collection, NL

          CID

          2354

            English title

            De Sade Towards the End of His Life

            Signed/dated

            Signed Constant, bottom left in sepia. Titled D.A.F. De Sade vers la fin de sa vie bottom in grey watercolor

            Provenance

            1978 Constant
            1981 Collection Adèle van Rijckevorsel, NL (gift)
            2017 Collection Maurits Kruseman, NL (heirs Adèle van Rijckevorsel, NL)
            Tags
            Beige
            Blue
            Literature
            Man
            People
            Portrait
            Sepia

            Frame dimensions

            No

            Image

            Constant Nieuwenhuys-4 dessins préparatoires pour Casanova-2, 1975

            Photographer

            Tom Haartsen

            Image

            Image

            4 dessins préparatoires pour Casanova-01

            1975
            Late period
            21,0cm
            x 25,0cm
            ink
            paper
            Private collection, NL

            CID

            2337

              English title

              4 Drawings in Preparation for Casanova-01

              Signed/dated

              Signed Constant, bottom right in ink

              Provenance

              1975 Constant
              Collection unknown
              2002 Christie's
              2002 Collection Jaski
              2018 Private Collection, NL
              Tags
              Erotica
              Flower
              Guitar
              Literature
              Love
              Man
              Nude
              Penis
              Sex
              Woman

              Frame dimensions

              52,2 x 55,5 x 2,8 cm

              Image

              Constant Nieuwenhuys-La belle noiseuse, 1990

              Photographer

              Unknown

              La belle noiseuse [II]

              1990
              Late period
              42,5cm
              x 57,0cm
              paper
              watercolour
              Collection Hans de Vries, BE

              CID

              965

                English title

                Beautiful Troublemaker [II]

                Signed/dated

                Titled 'La belle noiseuse', bottom left in pencil. Signed Constant '90, bottom right in pencil

                Provenance

                Constant
                1990 Cora de Vries, Collection d'art, NL
                2010 na overlijden Cora de Vries, Hans de Vries, Be
                Tags
                Literature
                Nude
                Woman

                Frame dimensions

                No

                Image

                Constant Nieuwenhuys-Sade in het labyrinth, 1972

                Photographer

                Tom Haartsen

                Sade in het labyrint

                1972
                New Babylon
                17,6cm
                x 15,0cm
                dry point needle
                etching
                printing plate
                Collection Fondation Constant, NL

                CID

                790

                Editions: 60 [50 & X]

                  English title

                  Sade in the Labyrinth

                  Alternate titles

                  Construction d'un labyrinthe, New Babylon
                  1992
                  Opbouw van het labyrinth
                  1981
                  Burgunder im Labyr
                  1972 Archive entry
                  Tags
                  Labyrinth
                  Literature
                  Man
                  People

                  Frame dimensions

                  nee

                  Image

                  Constant Nieuwenhuys-Cyrano, 1992

                  Photographer

                  Tom Haartsen

                  Cyrano de Bergerac

                  1992
                  Late period
                  13,8cm
                  x 12,1cm
                  aquatint
                  etching
                  Collection Fondation Constant, NL

                  CID

                  729

                  Edition: 11

                    Signed/dated

                    Titled Cyrano de Bergerac, bottom left in pencil
                    Tags
                    Literature
                    Man
                    People
                    Portrait

                    Frame dimensions

                    nee

                    Image

                    Constant Nieuwenhuys-Medea, 2000

                    Photographer

                    Tom Haartsen

                    Medea [II]

                    2000
                    Late period
                    53,6cm
                    x 33,5cm
                    paper
                    watercolour
                    Collection Fondation Constant, NL

                    CID

                    445

                    The numbering is for practical reasons to distinguish between different works with the same title.

                      Signed/dated

                      Titled "MEDEA", bottom left in black gouache. Signed and dated Constant '00, bottom right in black ink on blue fond
                      Tags
                      Child
                      Literature
                      Mother
                      Murder
                      Myth
                      Woman

                      Frame dimensions

                      76,8 x 56,5 x 3 cm