Daniel Pommereulle (1937-2003) - Objet du couchant

Daniel Pommereulle (1937-2003) – Untitled "Subject of the Sunset", 1979 – Watercolor on paper 20 × 14 cm – Camargue Series – Authenticated by Galerie Christophe Gaillard (catalogue raisonné)

Characteristics

• Artist: Daniel Pommereulle (1937-2003) France
• Title: Untitled ("Subject of the Sunset")
• Year: 1979
• Technique: Watercolor on paper
• Dimensions of the work: 20 × 14 cm
• Dimensions with frame: 49 × 35 cm
• Signature: Signed and dated on the back "Daniel Pommereulle"
• Framing: Modern light wood frame with high-quality mat

• Provenance: Anne de Clippel Collection, Brussels

Work acquired during the exhibition of Daniel Pommereulle’s works at Galerie Trigano in Paris in 1980.

• Condition: Very good condition

Description
Rare and poetic work – Authenticity confirmed by Galerie Christophe Gaillard

This magnificent watercolor from 1979, titled Subject of the Sunset, belongs to the small iconic series of watercolors created by Daniel Pommereulle during his stay in the Camargue. The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Galerie Christophe Gaillard, which will integrate it into the artist’s catalogue raisonné currently in preparation.

In the market context, two pastels by Daniel Pommereulle dated 1984, of a clearly larger format (73-75 × 103-104 cm), were auctioned at €4,500 each in 2024 (Millon on 26/09/2024 and Audap & Associés on 19/04/2024), far exceeding their estimates. Although our watercolor is very small in format (20 × 14 cm), it comes from a much rarer and more intimate series, created under very particular circumstances.

A similar work from the same series was exhibited in 2021 at Galerie Christophe Gaillard in the exhibition Dans l’œil de Daniel Pommereulle.

Description of the work
In 1979, lying in bed facing the window of his Camargue room, Daniel Pommereulle captures the changing light of the sunset and transfigures it into a minimalist and luminous vision. On a deep blue gradient background, an oblong yellow-orange form seems to float, surrounded by a hazy and almost spectral halo. The composition, of great sobriety, conveys a meditative intensity and a nearly mystical presence of light.

This piece bears witness to a particularly intimate and sensitive period of Pommereulle’s oeuvre, where the painter explores the boundary between figuration and abstraction, between observed reality and inner vision. The work is presented in a beautiful modern light wood frame with matting (dimensions with frame: 49 × 35 cm).

The series of watercolor "Subject of the Sunset" (Camargue, 1979)

In 1979, Daniel Pommereulle created a series of small-format watercolors directly inspired by the spectacle of the sunset as observed from his bed. These works, often referred to under the generic title Subject of the Sunset, constitute a particularly intimate and luminous moment of his production.

The artist reduces the motif to the essentials here: a floating and radiating form on a twilight or nocturnal sky background. These pieces, of great purity, dialogue with Pommereulle’s lifelong quest: to capture the speed of light, the vibration of the gaze, and the evocative power of the mental image.

Biography of the artist
Daniel Pommereulle (1937-2003) is one of the most singular and secret figures of the French avant-garde of the second half of the 20th century. Painter, sculptor, filmmaker, performer, and poet, he carved a radical and personal path, far from trends.

Born in 1937, he was shaped by his experience of the Algerian War. Returning to Paris, he mingled with the Saint-Germain-des-Prés circles and participated in early 1960s happenings. He was associated by Alain Jouffroy with the group of the “Objecteurs” in 1965. His role as a dandy in Eric Rohmer’s La Collectionneuse (1967) made him famous in Nouvelle Vague circles. He made two important films with the Zanzibar group: One More Time (1968) and Vite (1969).

In the 1970s, he developed the iconic series of Premonition Objects. From the 1980s onward, he created glass sculptures in the series Praise and Martyrdom of Glass. Simultaneously, he continued painting and working on paper with great freedom, producing works of rare luminous and spiritual intensity.

Long stood relatively obscure, his oeuvre has recently enjoyed a major revival of interest: retrospectives and tributes at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris (2024), and ongoing work toward establishing his catalogue raisonné by Galerie Christophe Gaillard.