EUGENE BERMAN (1899-1972) Intérieure, Rideau Vert

signed E. Berman and dated 1930 (lower right); signed, titled and dated ‘E Berman / Paris 1930 / Interieur’ (on the reverse) oil on canvas 100.3 by 81.2 cm EXHIBITED: Wadsworth Atheneum Museum, Hartford, Connecticut (old exhibition label on the reverse) PROVENANCE: Julien Levy Gallery, New York Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford Christie’s, New York, 14. March 1986, lot 267A Sotheby’s, New York, 06. October 2009, lot 198 Gene Shapiro Auctions, New York, 15. June 2010, lot 126 Private collection Eugene Berman (1899–1972) was born in St Petersburg. After the death of his father when he was seven years old, his mother remarried a wealthy banker and art collector, who oversaw the education of Eugene and his brother Leonid in Germany, Switzerland and France. Following the Russian Revolution, the family settled in Paris, where Berman studied at the Académie Ranson under Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard and emerged in the late 1920s as a leading figure of the Neo-Romantic movement. His early success in Paris led to exhibitions in New York, including at the influential Julian Levy Gallery in 1932. Berman moved permanently to the United States in 1935, settling first in New York and later in Hollywood. Alongside his painting career, he gained international recognition as a stage and costume designer, collaborating with Igor Stravinsky and creating productions for major ballet companies and the Metropolitan Opera. He also produced designs for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Country. In 1947 Berman received a Guggenheim Fellowship, and in 1962 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Following the death of his wife, actress Ona Munson, best known for her role as Belle Watling in Gone with the Wind, he settled permanently in Rome. He continued to travel extensively throughout North Africa and the Mediterranean and died in Rome in 1972. Upon the buyer’s request, we are pleased to provide a general condition report for the Lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise prospective buyers to conduct their own inspection or consult a specialist or restorer of their choice for a comprehensive professional assessment. Any condition descriptions provided in the catalogue or through any correspondence are for guidance only and should not be considered a substitute for a firsthand evaluation. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’ IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.