James Rottman Fine Art highlights a rare Paul-Émile Borduas painting that has not been viewed publicly since its debut in 1966 at the Musée du Québec.

Paul-Émile Borduas, 1941, Le Corsage Mauve,
oil on canvas, 18.5 in. x 16 in.,
signed and dated.
Price: on request
Provenance: Exhibited at the Musée du Québec, 1966. Exhibition: Peinture Vivante Du Quebec, Vingt-Cinq Ans de Liberation de L’Oeil et Du Geste, painting catalogued as no. 12. in exhibition.

Paul-Émile Borduas’ “Le Corsage Mauve”, a gorgeous and rare oil portrait from 1941, reproduced above, has unexpectedly surfaced since being first exhibited in 1966 at the Musée du Québec. This 1966 exhibition was titled “Peinture Vivante Du Quebec, Vingt-Cinq Ans de Liberation de L’Oeil et du Geste”. “Le Corsage Mauve” by Paul-Émile Borduas was one of only two oil portraits selected by the Musée du Québec in 1966 to represent the artist. The second Borduas portrait selected to exhibit in this 1966 exhibition was the famous oil titled “Portrait of Madame Gagnon”, which was painted the same year as “Le Corsage Mauve”. “Portrait of Madame Gagnon” was acquired in 1972 by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Interestingly enough both these beautiful oil portraits by Paul-Émile Borduas were originally owned by Gerard Beaulieu, an early patron and friend to the artist.

It was in 1941, the year that “Le Corsage Mauve” was created, that Borduas had established himself “as a painter to be reckoned with”, according to the glowing reviews on Borduas’ work in the historical “First Exhibition of Independants”, in the foyer du Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, 1941. There were no less than eight reviews citing Borduas’ participation in the Independants Exhibition. The reviews of the Borduas portraits in the 1941 exhibition were noted and compared to the highly praised works of Alfred Pellan.1

These rare early modernist oil portraits by Paul-Émile Borduas are typically viewed in museum collections. It is an honour for us to be able to represent and offer for sale this fantastic 1941 oil portrait by Paul-Émile Borduas.

James Rottman Fine Art carries a significant inventory of historical artworks by Paul-Émile Borduas. Do not hesitate to contact us with inquiries regarding this artwork or other works by Paul-Émile Borduas.

Credits: Paul-Émile Borduas, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1988, Francois-Marc Gagnon, pg.’s 93 and 94.