Jean Béraud (1849-1935) (after) - "Les Grands Boulevards (Café Américain)

- Jean Béraud (after), giclée print on heavyweight smooth matte paper (approx. 300gsm, refers to paper thickness/density). - Signed in the plate. - Embossed stamp. - Size: 42 x 63.5 cm. - Borderless / full-bleed. - Ready to frame. The pic in which the item appears framed is a simulated recreation for illustrative purposes only, the frame and other decorative elements shown in it are not included in the lot you are bidding on. - Stamp on verso. - Condition: excellent. Never framed, never exposed. - Jean Béraud’s Les Grands Boulevards (Café Américain) (c. 1897) captures the sophisticated rhythm of Belle Époque Paris with the observational precision that established the artist as one of the great chroniclers of modern urban life. Set on the Boulevard des Capucines, the scene unfolds before the fashionable Café Américain, where elegantly dressed pedestrians, top-hatted gentlemen, horse-drawn carriages and café waiters animate a rain-soaked boulevard. Béraud transforms an apparently everyday moment into an atmospheric portrait of Paris: reflections shimmer across the wet pavement, the colourful advertising column provides a striking vertical accent, while the diagonal recession of façades, trees and figures draws the eye towards the misty distance. His combination of meticulous social observation with loose, luminous passages of paint places him between academic realism and the modern vision of the Impressionists, recalling the Parisian subjects of Degas, Manet, Caillebotte and Renoir while retaining his distinctive, almost journalistic fascination with fashionable society and metropolitan spectacle. With its elegant palette of silvery greys, warm ochres, muted greens, black and subtle flashes of colour, Les Grands Boulevards (Café Américain) is particularly attractive as an interior piece. Its sophisticated Parisian atmosphere works beautifully in classic, Haussmann-inspired, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Parisian-chic, eclectic and contemporary interiors, especially against warm white, stone, greige, sage, dusty blue, petrol or deep burgundy walls. A black, dark walnut or antique-gold frame can reinforce its period character, while velvet, dark wood, brass, marble, leather and smoked glass provide natural decorative companions. Equally suited to a living room, library, dining room, study or elegant hallway, it can also make an evocative gift for admirers of Paris, French culture, architecture and the romantic imagery of the Belle Époque. Béraud occupies a fascinating position between nineteenth-century realism and the emergence of modern metropolitan art, documenting the boulevards, cafés and fashionable inhabitants of Paris at the moment when the modern city itself became a major artistic subject. His urban vision resonates with Degas, Manet, Caillebotte, Renoir, Monet and Toulouse-Lautrec, while its fascination with contemporary life can also appeal to collectors of Picasso, Matisse, Miró, Dalí, Warhol, Basquiat, Haring, Hockney, Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Kaws, alongside cultural and design icons such as Cartier, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chanel, Dior, Hermès, Gucci, Lego, Star Wars and Pokémon. Beyond these collecting connections, the painting remains above all a vivid window onto fin-de-siècle Paris, where architecture, fashion, movement and changing light become part of the spectacle of everyday life. More than a picturesque Parisian view, it preserves the elegance and restless energy of the modern boulevard at the height of the Belle Époque.

Estimation:€1

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