Alfred Courmes

Alfred Courmes (1898–1993), a French painter, developed a body of work in which subjects drawn from mythology and the Christian tradition are treated in a frequently humorous manner, sometimes with sexual or homoerotic overtones. The juxtaposition of classicism with a surrealist and expressionist vision is described as a lasting reference point in his work. His paintings bring ancient or medieval worlds together with contemporary elements—clothing, everyday objects or advertising motifs—and also draw on the imagery of advertisements and photographs in sensationalist newspapers.

After completing secondary school in Monaco, Courmes was encouraged by his father, a naval officer, to pursue his desire to become a painter. He studied under Roger de La Fresnaye, whom the source describes as his sole disciple. An early Cubist direction is evidenced by Nature morte cubiste au pinceau, dated 1921. After settling in Paris in 1925, he exhibited at the Salon des indépendants and the Salon d’automne. The discovery of works by Van Eyck, Hans Holbein, Dürer and Brueghel in the museums of Bruges and Ghent was another landmark in his career. In 1929, he painted L’Homme blessé in homage to La Fresnaye; the work is part of a practice in which classicism coexists with surrealist and expressionist visions.

In 1936, Courmes shared the Prix Paul Guillaume with Tal Coat for Saint Sébastien. A painting on this subject, dated 1934, is among the works held at the Centre Pompidou. The following year, he received the commission for Le Toucher for the pavilion of the Sèvres manufactory at the Paris International Exhibition; the 1937 work is also held at the Centre Pompidou. He also created the mural decoration for the dining room of the French Embassy in Ottawa. The work, which took him two years, is signed and dated 21 July 1939. In 1930, while living near the Gare de l’Est, he ran the popular cinema Verdun-Palace.

In 1946, he took part in the Exposition surréaliste de Lille with Magritte and Clovis Trouille. From 1957 onwards, he exhibited regularly at the Salon de mai. In 1976, he participated in the exhibition Mythologies Quotidiennes at the Musée d’art moderne de la ville de Paris. Two retrospectives subsequently marked this institutional recognition: one at the Musée de Grenoble in 1979, the other at the Centre Georges-Pompidou in Paris in 1989.

Works recorded at auction

Dobiaschofsky

The cart.

Oil on canvas

Original catalogue wording

La charrette.
Öl auf Leinwand

Date to be documented

Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed

View the lot at the auction house ↗