LOUIS VALTAT (1869–1952) Sous-bois au Printemps

signed ‘L. Valtat’ (lower right) oil on canvas 46 × 55 cm Painted circa 1928 Provenance Gaston Lévy, Paris (probably acquired directly from the artist) Andrée Lévy, Paris Private collection, Europe Authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Julien Valtat. ‘Sous-bois au Printemps’, painted around 1928, reflects the style of the French painter Louis Valtat during the period he spent convalescing along the Mediterranean coast. Suffering from tuberculosis, he spent several seasons in southern towns such as Saint‑Tropez, where he occasionally met Pierre‑Auguste Renoir, who was then living in Cagnes‑sur‑Mer. During this time his brushwork became bolder and more energetic, although he never fully embraced the intense color saturation associated with Fauvism. A celebrated painter of landscapes and seascapes, Valtat was born in Dieppe, France. Encouraged by his father, who had a strong interest in painting, he pursued artistic training at the École des Beaux‑Arts in Paris and later worked within the circle of the Barbizon School. His early style combined elements of Impressionism and Pointillism before evolving toward a more Fauvist approach. Unable to paint during the final years of his life because of illness, he died in Paris in 1952. Today, his works are held in major museum collections, including the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.