* CONSTANTIN KLUGE (RUSSIAN/FRENCH 1912 - 2003),
FLOWER SELLERS, NOTRE DAME
oil on canvas, signed
image size 45cm x 60cm, overall size 63cm x 79cm
Framed.
Note: Constantin Kluge was a Russian-born French painter best known for his naturalistic scenes of Paris and the French countryside in a style reminiscent of Albert Marquet. Kluge was born to a wealthy military family on January 29, 1912, in Riga, Latvia, which was then a large, industrial Russian port city. He spent much of his childhood and young adult life between Manchuria, Beijing, and Hong Kong, where he discovered a love for brush and ink painting. Kluge studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and earned his diploma in 1937. Upon graduating, he painted the city’s riverbanks and streets before returning to Shanghai. With the rise of Communism in China, the artist fled to Paris in 1950 and began exhibiting in French Salons. He was a success both artistically and financially. Of his many awards, he received the Gold Medal, Salon des Artistes Francais and was made Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur by the French Government. He died on January 9, 2003, in Paris, France. Kluge’s works are in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, among many others. In The Scottish Contemporary Art Auction of 26th May 2019 "Notre Dame, Paris" (lot 547) by Kluge sold for £4200 (hammer).