(Paris) An extremely rare oil on canvas by Serge Gainsbourg, who reluctantly gave up painting for the song, will be auctioned on Friday in Paris on the occasion of the dispersion of Juliette Gréco’s memories, announced the auction house Crait -Müller.
Estimated between 30,000 and 50,000 euros ($ 43,000 and $ 71,000), this painting, which represents Serge Gainsbourg as a child and his sister, was offered in 1959 to Juliette Gréco by the artist himself. A student at the Beaux-Arts and member of the Académie de Montmartre, Lucien Ginsburg at civil status first intended for painting and drawing, leading a bohemian life with his first wife Élisabeth Levitsky, also a painter.
In 1954, he abandoned the visual arts for song, going so far as to destroy his paintings.
According to those around him, five paintings are still in circulation, including Children in the square, offered to Juliette Gréco and to whom he had just confided during a program that “painting is (his) only true love”.
“A few days later, Serge came to my house and said: ‘I burned everything, destroyed everything, I’ll give you that. It is the only one that remains… ”It is a very touching canvas. […] I love this canvas. She’s been over my bed, but I’m walking her around the house. It’s more than a painting, it’s a part of it. And it’s mine. It would hurt me crazy if it were to disappear… ”, confided the singer.
In 2015, Juliette Gréco appealed to AFP after the disappearance of this painting from her home: “I am very unhappy, I have the impression that a small piece of my life has been torn from me. I give my thieves a few days to put it back where they found it, then I start the war machine! She let it be known. The canvas, visibly stolen by a loved one, quickly reappeared …
From Thursday to Saturday, some 750 lots, trinkets, furniture, works of art, dishes, jewelry and clothing from Juliette Gréco, will be scattered, with estimates starting at 30 euros ($ 43).
Among the most unusual pieces, there is a Van Cleef & Arpels directory with the telephone numbers of many celebrities from the Saint-Germain-des-Prés years, written by the singer.
A painting by Foujita, Little Greco with a cat, could reach 80,000 euros ($ 114,000).
All the lots from this sale organized by Julie-Amour Rossini, granddaughter of the singer, will be on display for free from Wednesday to Friday at the Hotel Drouot.