Jacques Tas, Amsterdam
Oscar Ghez, Geneva
Private collection, Europe
Private collection, Asia

ILLUSTRATED:
Kisling 1891-1953 Première Edition , Edition Jean Kisling, text by Joseph Kessel, 1982, black and white illustrated, no. 121, p. 170
This painting is to be sold with a certificate of authenticity signed by Jean Kisling.

Born into a Jewish family in 1891 at Krakow, Poland, Moïse Kisling's father, a tailor by trade, had hoped for his son to become an engineer. However, young Kisling had other ideas and his dream was to become an artist. While pursuing his studies in the School of Fine Arts in Krakow, Kisling met Jozef Pankiewicz (1866-1940), his first mentor. At that time, it was immensely popular among the Poles to further their education in Germany. Pankiewicz, however, thought otherwise. Having been to Paris, Pankiewicz had been initiated into Impressionism and had close associations with numerous artists such as Renoir, Vuillard and Bonnard. He advised Kisling against moving to Germany, suggesting instead that he should leave for the country where Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne already resided. To Pankiewicz, the kingdom of art was to be found in Paris.

ZOUCHA ET LOUIS TAS
MOÏSE KISLING

In 1910, Kisling set foot in Paris, the capital of art, imbued with lofty ideals. He was then at the tender age of 19, with only twenty francs in his pocket as well as a complete disregard to the problem of maintaining his living. In the early 20th century, Paris witnessed the continuous thriving of various modern artistic movements, such as Fauvism and Cubism. After some time, Kisling returned to Montparnasse and settled there for the next 27 years. During that period, Kisling became acquainted with many artists, and among his closest friends were Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920), Georges Braque (1882-1963), Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) as well as Chaim Soutine (1894-1943). Kisling was a man who enjoyed great popularity. His studio often became a conference center for little gatherings among the artists, writers and poets. Together, they enjoyed a bold and uninhibited Bohemian lifestyle. Kisling and Modigliani were equally reputed for their good looks and carefree demeanor among this group. Both were not only brilliant artists brimming with superb talent but also bosom friends who fully understood and appreciated each other. In fact, both were so close that Kisling not only shared his painting materials with the impoverished Modigliani, he even took care of Modigliani's funeral affairs when the latter died of illness in 1920.

From 1910 to approximately 1920, Les Montparnasse was the center of the Parisian art scene. Artists from different countries ended up gathering in this one space. The name “l'École de Paris” was used to describe the style of these artists. In 1917, Kisling was given the title "King of the Montparnasse" by historians and correspondents of fine arts, while Modigliani was christened as the "Prince of the Montparnasse". After the outbreak of World War I, Kisling volunteered for the French Foreign Legion. He was seriously wounded in 1915 in the Battle of the Somme. Kisling was recognized for his valor and was awarded French citizenship in 1924 in spite of the fact that he was a Polish Jewish. In 1933, he was awarded the French Legion of Honour (Légion d'honneur).

Kisling lived a fortuitous and happy life. In 1919, at the age of 28, he was able to hold his first personal exhibition at the famous Galerie Druet in Paris. As the gallery had previously acted as agent for the works of Matisse and Derain, this exhibition created great popularity overnight for Kisling, turning him into a celebrity figure in Paris. The success of this exhibition at Galerie Druet enhanced his reputation as a top-notch artist among the members of l'École de Paris. The 1910s to 1930s saw Paris undergoing a period known as La Belle Époque, a time that stressed upon leisurely endeavors and sensory pleasures. Fine dining, fashion and fine arts collecting became flourishing aspects of this culture. The tastes and preferences of the Bourgeois very much favored l'École de Paris. Beneath the rich and bright colors in Kisling's figure paintings, flower and plants, still lifes and landscapes, there was always a faint, lingering mystique and melancholy. A sense of the exotic, evoked by his adoption of the Slavic style from Eastern Europe, made Kisling's paintings exceptionally enchanting and thus well-received by the masses.

The present lot “Zoucha et Louis Tas” (Portrait of Zoucha and Louis, children of Dr. Tas), was created in 1930 and was a former collection of an important Swiss collector, Oscar Ghez, and of the Museum du Petit Palais in Geneva, Switzerland. Kisling's portraits are often compared with those of his friend Modigliani. Both artists' works have a melancholy flair, while Kisling's pieces seem to convey more emotion. The present lot depicts two children in bright ensemble; with the girl's arm around the boy's shoulder and their hands holding each other’s, forms a circle that giving the piece a certain vibrancy and liveliness, and at the same time symbolize deep family love; the very picture of warmth and hope. When we gaze into the children's eyes, we are moved by their innocence. The two youngsters appear pure and naïve, one stands and one sits, both deep in thought as if they are waiting for good news. During his lifetime, Kisling traveled a lot to the Netherlands. Dr. Tas was a Hollandaise Jewish living in Amsterdam who was also an important collector of Kisling’s art. It is easy to imagine that the piece was particularly prized by the artist and full of fond memories.