A very interesting COTTAVOZ from March 1953, a beautiful format – 73cm x 116cm, on sale on October 15 in New York, Auction Doyle at 175 87th Avenue in Manhattan.

Perhaps a view from the beach Masset de Cannes, at the bottom of the Palm Beach, on the left the massive wall of the palace “Le Majestic”.

It is a sensation of animated joy, all in color of summer 1953, a view of COTTAVOZ on vacation on the Côte d’Azur, the blue sky. At this time, André is married to Simone, they live together in Sainte-Foy-Les-Lyon. He regularly comes to paint on the pattern under the Azureen light, far from the gray sky of the Lyonnais, far from the roofs of zinc and slate of his “room of maid” of the Montparnasse district. Mounted in Paris, escaped from the network of exhibitors and critics of art lyonnais, he quickly took a pied-à-terre to run the galleries and work close to the representatives of the new school of Paris. Time of the first lithographs at Fernand Mourlot.

COTTAVOZ, is a follower of the “blue train”, he visits his father in Cannes and his friends “Valentines, Archangels workshop” in Vallauris. He finds a landlady, “the mother Mathio” he rents for a modest sum a rustic apartment at 13 rue Sicard in a former convent, neighbor of his friend COLLET the potter. COTTAVOZ installs his workshop in a room, very animated during work and holidays in Vallauris.

1953 is the year of this powerful painting on sale October 15 in Mannhatan, it is the year of the Feneon prize, ex-tie with Jacques Fusaro. COTTAVOZ signs his first contract with the “Art Vivant” gallery, avenue Raspail, directed by Jacques Zeitoun. The “Art-Vivant” gallery will become a few years later, Galerie Kriegel, 36 avenue Matignon, still under the artistic direction of Jacques Zeitoun and managed by partners Kriegel and Sapiro. they exhibit COTTAVOZ, GARBELL, KIMURA, BERROCAL, ADILON. Returning to this “view of Cannes”, probably acquired by an American collector in Paris, gallery “Art-Living” in 1953 – 1954, here it is in 2019 back on the market in New York, probably as part of a succession. Apart from the colors, the motif and the style, through the work, it is about my father and a slice of life in 1953 of an artist on which you can invest.

Florent