Lot 160: Alfonso Michel (Mexican 1897-1957)

Untitled
signed 'Michel' (lower right) and inscribed by an unknown hand 'ALFONSO MIGUEL (MICHEL), PARIS 1950, RUE VISCONTI, RUE DES BEAUX ARTS VI' (on the stretcher on the reverse)
oil on canvas
18 1/4 x 24 in. (46.5 x 61 cm.)
Painted in 1949.

Acquired from the artist (1949).
Percy Savage collection, London.

PROPERTY OF PERCY SAVAGE

Percy Savage, a well known fashion personality and designer for Lanvin and Nina Ricci during the heyday of haute couture after World War II, met Michel along with Rufino and Olga Tamayo in the literary salon of Countess Marie-Laure de Noailles in Paris. He insisted on visiting his studio immediately after. Michel sold the haunting still life in 1949 and it soon graced the walls of Savage's home. For the first time on public view, it remains a fresh and wonderful example from Michel's Paris days.