Robert Detheux (1932-2010) - Portrait surréaliste d’un chat - 2005
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Surreal portrait of a cat by Robert Detheux, 2005, in mixed media on paper mounted on tinted newspaper, 58.5 × 44 cm, signed and dated, original edition, Belgium, in good condition.
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Description from the seller
Robert Detheux (1932-2010) – Portrait of a Cat – 2005
Artist : Robert Detheux (Brussels, 1932 – Tournai, 2010)
Title of the work : Portrait of a cat
Date : 2005
Signature : Signed and dated « Detheux 2005 » at the bottom left.
Medium : Graphite, charcoal and white highlights on paper, fixed to a slightly darker newspaper sheet, which overhangs at the edge.
The cat is built with tight hatchings, the background with a gray wash and splatters. The eyes and a paw are emphasized with white.
Dimensions : 58.5 × 44 cm
Condition : Good overall. The line is clear, the eyes readable, the signature intact. Studio paper, grain, splashes and stains integrated into the drawing, a few traces of mounting on the tinted newspaper, without affecting the figure.
Sold unframed, as mounted.
Provenance : Artist’s studio collection (acquired directly).
Description :
Portrait of 2005. Detheux was seventy-three years old. The cat is not a pet: it is a figure. Head too large, ears pricked, eyes very open, whitened, pupils fixed. Snout barely indicated, body compact, hatchings like a fur that reveals nothing.
The front paws are the second subject. Long, bony, toes splayed, one whitened. They are no longer quite cat’s paws. They hold, they wait. The body below dissolves into hatchings.
The background is not empty. Gray wash, darker on the left, black splashes, paper left light on the right. The tinted newspaper sheet behind broadens the gray and creates a darker margin. The cat seems to emerge from this greyness, held by it.
We are in the late years: appearance, creature, gaze. Detheux’s graphic surrealism — hatchings, face, figure that is not a portrait — here passes through the animal. The cat looks. It does not pose.
Signed, dated, well within format, mounted by the studio on tinted newspaper: a characteristic sheet of 2005, for lovers of Belgian drawing sensitive to creatures and fixed gazes.
Artist biography :
Born in Brussels in 1932 and passed away in Tournai in 2010, Robert Detheux is a singular figure of Belgian art in the 20th century.
A graduate of the Institute Saint-Luc in Fine Arts in Brussels, he taught graphic expression at the Academy of Tournai until 1996, while pursuing a personal body of work of great coherence.
From the 1950s, he established himself with a highly personal surrealist and graphic language. He received the Prize for Young Belgian Painting in 1953, 1954 and 1971.
The following decades deepen the same territory. 1970s: body and face, hybrid figures, textures. 1980s-1990s: grotesque, eroticism, black humor. 2000s-2010s: spectral portraits, appearances, creatures. This sheet belongs to the latter period.
Little exposed during his lifetime, Detheux worked freely. The uncovering of his workshop collection (nearly 1,500 works) has made this coherence visible.
His drawing, demanding and immediately recognizable, now attracts collectors of Belgian surrealism, in Belgium, Spain and Europe.
Seller's Story
About SR Fine Art
With nearly 28 years of experience in the art market, I am passionate about rediscovering artists’ studios and bringing their works to a wide audience on Catawiki.
I specialize in Belgian and European modern and contemporary art. My flagship collection is the studio archive of Robert Detheux (nearly 1,500 works on paper). I also offer surrealist drawings, beautiful abstract paintings from the 1950s, magnificent nude photographs by Michel Pinel, contemporary paintings, Cobra compositions, and works by Marcus de Vestele, Gundi Falk, René Mels, Eugène Eechaut and many others.
From intimate drawings to large formats, there is something for every taste and every budget. The vast majority of my auctions start at 1 € with no reserve price, giving everyone the chance to acquire unique pieces.
Every shipment is prepared with the utmost care using professional museum-quality packaging to ensure perfect condition upon arrival.
Join my growing community of satisfied clients and follow my new auctions to discover rare works from these exceptional studios.
Thank you for your trust and happy bidding!
SR Fine Art
Translated by Google TranslateRobert Detheux (1932-2010) – Portrait of a Cat – 2005
Artist : Robert Detheux (Brussels, 1932 – Tournai, 2010)
Title of the work : Portrait of a cat
Date : 2005
Signature : Signed and dated « Detheux 2005 » at the bottom left.
Medium : Graphite, charcoal and white highlights on paper, fixed to a slightly darker newspaper sheet, which overhangs at the edge.
The cat is built with tight hatchings, the background with a gray wash and splatters. The eyes and a paw are emphasized with white.
Dimensions : 58.5 × 44 cm
Condition : Good overall. The line is clear, the eyes readable, the signature intact. Studio paper, grain, splashes and stains integrated into the drawing, a few traces of mounting on the tinted newspaper, without affecting the figure.
Sold unframed, as mounted.
Provenance : Artist’s studio collection (acquired directly).
Description :
Portrait of 2005. Detheux was seventy-three years old. The cat is not a pet: it is a figure. Head too large, ears pricked, eyes very open, whitened, pupils fixed. Snout barely indicated, body compact, hatchings like a fur that reveals nothing.
The front paws are the second subject. Long, bony, toes splayed, one whitened. They are no longer quite cat’s paws. They hold, they wait. The body below dissolves into hatchings.
The background is not empty. Gray wash, darker on the left, black splashes, paper left light on the right. The tinted newspaper sheet behind broadens the gray and creates a darker margin. The cat seems to emerge from this greyness, held by it.
We are in the late years: appearance, creature, gaze. Detheux’s graphic surrealism — hatchings, face, figure that is not a portrait — here passes through the animal. The cat looks. It does not pose.
Signed, dated, well within format, mounted by the studio on tinted newspaper: a characteristic sheet of 2005, for lovers of Belgian drawing sensitive to creatures and fixed gazes.
Artist biography :
Born in Brussels in 1932 and passed away in Tournai in 2010, Robert Detheux is a singular figure of Belgian art in the 20th century.
A graduate of the Institute Saint-Luc in Fine Arts in Brussels, he taught graphic expression at the Academy of Tournai until 1996, while pursuing a personal body of work of great coherence.
From the 1950s, he established himself with a highly personal surrealist and graphic language. He received the Prize for Young Belgian Painting in 1953, 1954 and 1971.
The following decades deepen the same territory. 1970s: body and face, hybrid figures, textures. 1980s-1990s: grotesque, eroticism, black humor. 2000s-2010s: spectral portraits, appearances, creatures. This sheet belongs to the latter period.
Little exposed during his lifetime, Detheux worked freely. The uncovering of his workshop collection (nearly 1,500 works) has made this coherence visible.
His drawing, demanding and immediately recognizable, now attracts collectors of Belgian surrealism, in Belgium, Spain and Europe.
Seller's Story
About SR Fine Art
With nearly 28 years of experience in the art market, I am passionate about rediscovering artists’ studios and bringing their works to a wide audience on Catawiki.
I specialize in Belgian and European modern and contemporary art. My flagship collection is the studio archive of Robert Detheux (nearly 1,500 works on paper). I also offer surrealist drawings, beautiful abstract paintings from the 1950s, magnificent nude photographs by Michel Pinel, contemporary paintings, Cobra compositions, and works by Marcus de Vestele, Gundi Falk, René Mels, Eugène Eechaut and many others.
From intimate drawings to large formats, there is something for every taste and every budget. The vast majority of my auctions start at 1 € with no reserve price, giving everyone the chance to acquire unique pieces.
Every shipment is prepared with the utmost care using professional museum-quality packaging to ensure perfect condition upon arrival.
Join my growing community of satisfied clients and follow my new auctions to discover rare works from these exceptional studios.
Thank you for your trust and happy bidding!
SR Fine Art
Translated by Google TranslateDetails
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Owner or reseller
Edition
Original
Artist
Robert Detheux (1932-2010)
Title of artwork
Portrait surréaliste d’un chat - 2005
Technique
Mixed media
Signature
Signed
Country of origin
Belgium
Year
2005
Condition
Good condition
Height
58.5 cm
Width
44 cm
Style
Surrealism
Period
2000-2010
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