Up for sale is a limited edition hand signed original lithograph in colors titled "Chien Napoleon (Napoleon Dog) : From Mon Cirque (My Circus) Suite" by artist Bernard Buffet (1928-1999), published in 1968 on Arches Paper. This particular lithograph is in good condition with fresh, bold colors. The piece is hand signed in ink on the lower right center by Buffet and numbered in pencil 78 of 120 on the lower left in pencil. The image is roughly 18.5 x 27" and the archival frame with TruVue UV protective glass is 34.5” x 25.5". Provenance: From the collection of a Providence, Rhode Island estate.

I will also provide a certificate of authenticity with this piece. Suggested replacement value of $4,000. Guaranteed 100% authentic. Please email me with any questions, thank you!

Discussion: “Bernard Buffet, Mon Cirque is a Portfolio of 44 Signed and Numbered Lithographs from Buffet’s Clown/Circus series with the original book produced in 1968. Each Lithograph is signed and numbered from the edition of 120. There are also 44 unsigned Lithographs included in the book.

Buffet’s oeuvre is graphic; with his most iconic renderings being of tall and elongated, sorrowful clowns. The zenith of the “Clown” series was during the 1950s. Formulated at a time when society was just recovering from the Second World War, the subject proved to be extremely powerful. The masked characters were estranged and enigmatic, capturing the unease and distress of the French people during the post-war period. Buffet adopts a classic composition for portraits and the artist seems to purposefully leave the character’s disposition a mystery. His clowns don a comical appearance, and yet their eyes look equivocal and empty.

When asked why the character would be favoured as a repeated focus of his paintings, Buffet answered, “The clown can indulge himself with all sorts of disguises and caricatures.” The depiction of the clown was a way for the artist to embrace and express freedom, and the canvas allowed him space to breathe within the harshness of reality. To put on mask after mask was to cope with the dreariness of social existence. In Nicholas Foulkes’ new biography, Bernard Buffet: The Invention of the Modern Mega-Artist, the art historian notes: “It is often said that when Buffet painted a face, whether human of animal, he was painting a self-portrait. While not entirely true, there is no doubt that he used his own features as the basis for some of his clown paintings.”

In the late 1960s, as the media and the public disapproved of the artist’s extravagant lifestyle and what was perceived to be an excessively commercial oeuvre, Buffet’s celebrity status turned sour. Bitterly chastised, it makes sense that the artist should exert darkness on to his paintings. Is the clown, dressed in a costume representative of 19th-century French court dress, standing tall and majestic, or does he dejectedly mourn the glory of days gone by? The jester faces the masses in isolation, emanating an air of gloom. More prominent, however, is the artist’s unapologetic resilience to a sense of self that is reflected in his observations and artistic portrayal of life as a melodrama.” -From Denis Bloch Fine Art

About me: Aside from being a professional artist, I have been working with original works on paper by 19th and 20th century modern and contemporary masters since 2004, with a focus on the great Salvador Dali. Regarding my fine art background and expertise, I take great pride in any original work on paper that I represent. The fine art world can be overwhelming and there are a lot of false experts, my goal has always been with educating the buyer. I have learned a lot in my nearly 20 years of working with fine art masters, as well as many highly reputable galleries and private dealers. All items I sell have been extensively researched, documented in the official catalogue raisonnes of the artists when applicable, and I provide a signed lifetime guarantee/ certificate of authenticity of the fine art I sell, legally binding me to my word. I stay away from dubious works of art, and if there is a concern I am unaware of I fortunately know the right people to ask. In 2000 after high school I moved from Connecticut to attend the George Washington University and was curator for Galerie Lareuse with expert Jean-Michel Lareuse for 11 years in Georgetown; member of the IFPDA (International Fine Print Dealers Association) specializing in original works on paper by 19th & 20th century masters such as Picasso, Dali, Chagall, Miro, Braque, Renoir, Leger, Matisse, Magritte, Kandinsky, Buffet, Dufy, Lautrec, Calder, Cassatt, Delaunay, Haring, Warhol, Degas, and many others. I oversaw and personally handled hundreds of original works on paper and was tasked with extensive research, appraisals, sales, certification, private acquisitions, as well as museum-quality professional framing. I assisted with transactions involving many prestigious museums and organizations, including a 2006 sale via Galerie Lareuse of Picasso's rare 1912 etching "Nature Morte, Bouteille" to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, a 2011 sale of Vincent van Gogh's very rare c.1890 etching "Portrait of Dr. Gachet", and a 2012 sale of a unique original gouache drawing by Sonia Delaunay which is now located in The Phillips Collection. I also assisted in the art estate of the late and great Eunice Shriver, and many other private collections in the DC area. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me as I am here to help! Kind regards, Kreg