Image

Constant Nieuwenhuys-Femme-fleur, 1949

Photographer

Tom Haartsen

Femme-fleur

1949
Cobra
89,7cm
x 74,5cm
linen
oil paint
Collection K. van Stuijvenberg on loan to Cobra Museum of Modern Art, Amstelveen, NL

CID

645

In episode three of Constant 1-on-1 the podcast Ronald Tolman tells an ankedote about the provenance of the painting, Femme-fleur aka Personnage de nuit [1949]. In the CoBrA period Constant had an important exhibition opening [this could be the exhibition at Henry Schou in 1951*]. He does not have a suit and convinces a reluctant tailor to choose a painting as payment for a tailoredmadesuit.

In 1990 he gets a phone call from Christie's London to authenticate a Cobra painting which has been offered for sale for too low a price. Constant confirms that it is indeed a painting from his hand. It is the work he traded with the tailor in 1951. The tailor's children are selling the work because they want to build a house. The work sells for 345.000 Guilders, allowing the sellers to build their new house. Constant is very happy to hear that his trade back in the day has lead to the tailor's children being able to build a house. The new owner is the French actor and art collector Alain Delon.

*We assume it is an opening in Denmark because the archive entree for this work says that the painting was located in a collection in Denmark and the exhibition Malerier og tegningen at Henry Schou was the first solo exhibition Constant had in Denmark.

    English title

    Flower Woman

    Alternate titles

    Femme-fleur
    1949 Archive entry
    Personnage de nuit
    2015

    Provenance

    Constant
    1951 ca Collection of unknown tailor in Denmark (traded for a tailor made suit)
    1990 Collection Alain Delon, France (Christie's London)
    2007 Collection Karel Stuijvenberg (Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris)
    Collection Karel Stuijvenberg on longterm loan to Cobra Museum, NL
    Tags
    Flower
    Woman

    Frame dimensions

    unknown
    Title Year
    Klee & Cobra 2011
    Klee and Cobra 2011
    Klee und Cobra 2011

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