Jacques Lagrange, Woman with Flowers, Oil on cardboard, circa 1950–1955

This striking work by Jacques Lagrange, a singular figure in post-war French painting, belongs to the series Cueillettes (“Gatherings”), one of the artist’s most poetic groups of works. It displays his fluid line and lyrical color planes, capturing both the sensuality of the female form and a deep tenderness for nature. The chosen support, a cardboard panel, is typical of Lagrange’s practice in the 1950s. This material, which he often used for preparatory works related to cinema or tapestry, gives the painted surface a vibrant texture and rare spontaneity. Of impressive dimensions, this highly sensual composition radiates a strong presence and subtle energy, making it ideal for both the serious collector of modern art and the discerning amateur. Its balance of expressive power and chromatic softness makes it perfectly suited to a modern or contemporary interior, where it will command attention with quiet elegance. About the Artist Born in Arcueil in 1917, Jacques Lagrange entered the École nationale des arts décoratifs in 1933 before joining the printmaking studio at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1937, he collaborated with Raoul Dufy on the decoration of the Electricity Pavilion at the International Exhibition in Paris—an experience that shaped a lifelong engagement with the harmony between drawing, color, and space. Mobilized in Angers during the war, he discovered the famous Tapestry of the Apocalypse, which deeply influenced his sense of monumental design and decorative composition. After his demobilization in 1944, he returned to his studio in Arcueil and participated in the first Salon de Mai in 1945, exhibiting there regularly throughout his career. His works were shown at the Galerie de France in 1946 and 1953, and later at Galerie Villand et Galanis from 1955 onward, alongside artists such as Roger Chastel, Maurice Estève, and Charles Lapicque. A close collaborator of Jacques Tati, Lagrange co-wrote and served as artistic adviser for Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953), Mon Oncle (1958), Playtime (1967), Trafic (1971), and Parade (1974). This fruitful dialogue between painting and cinema highlights his ability to translate the visual rigor of his art into movement and scenography. He also worked with Jean Vilar at the Théâtre National Populaire, designing sets and costumes for Ubu (1958). Lagrange created several monumental works integrated into modern architecture, including a 600 m² ceiling for the Tour Croulebarbe (also known as Tour Albert, 1957–59), Paris’s first skyscraper, and a marble pavement for the Faculty of Sciences at Jussieu (1967–72). A professor at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and head of the engraving studio, Lagrange was a key figure in the renaissance of French tapestry, producing numerous designs for the Aubusson workshops. His rich and multifaceted career is detailed in three full columns in the Benezit Dictionary of Artists, attesting to his enduring importance in 20th-century French art. From 1967 to 1992, he lived in Saint-Martial-le-Mont (Creuse), where he continued to explore the poetic interplay between nature, memory, and abstraction.