William Laparra

Painted for or commissioned by the sitter;

Thence by descent, until 1996;

With Marie Watteau, Paris, by November 2006;

Thierry and Christine de Chirée, Avignon;

Their sale, Paris, Aguttes, 30 March 2011, lot 405;

Where purchased by the present owner.

Paris, Société des Artistes Français, Salon , 1907, no. 924;

Bordeaux, Salle d'expositions Vincent Imberti, 9–24 December 1908;

Paris, Exposition rétrospective, Cercle Artistique et Littéraire, 13 June – 2 July 1921, no. 3.

E. Bouvy, 'Notes d'art. L'exposition William Laparra à la salle Imberti (December 1908)', in Revue Philomathique de Bordeaux et du Sud-Ouest, January to February, Bordeaux 1909, p. 25;

P. Lafond, 'William Laparra', in L'Art et les Artistes, February 1910, p. 225;

F. Ribemont, William Laparra (1873–1920), exh. cat., Bordeaux 1996, pp. 18, 89, 91.

Painted in 1907, Portrait of Benjamin Landowski reflects William Laparra’s close personal and artistic connection to the Landowski family and to the refined intellectual milieu of early twentieth-century Paris. A Prix de Rome laureate in 1898, Laparra trained under Jules Lefebvre, William Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury, and quickly gained recognition as one of the most gifted painters of his generation. During his residency at the Villa Medici in Rome, he befriended the sculptor Paul Landowski, later celebrated for his Christ the Redeemer (1931), Rio de Janeiro's most famous landmark on the summit of Mount Corcavado. Upon his return to Paris in 1902, Laparra married Paul’s sister, Wanda Landowski. Although her death in 1904 marked a deep personal loss, the painter remained closely attached to her family, as witnessed by this portrait of her brother Benjamin, a lawyer by profession.

Exhibited in 1907, the painting was praised for its subtle psychology and modern elegance. The critic E. Bouvy wrote in the Revue Philomathique de Bordeaux et du Sud-Ouest that 'the portraits of Madame J. T. and Maître Benjamin Landowski occupy the place of honour in the Salon. The first is of vigorous touch and powerful colouring, in harmony with the model’s opulent bearing. The second, freer in style, renders with rare felicity the clean-shaven face, dreamy gaze and enigmatic expression of a man well acquainted with many mysteries.' (E. Bouvy, 'Notes d'art. L'exposition William Laparra à la salle Imberti (December 1908)', in Revue Philomathique de Bordeaux et du Sud-Ouest, January to February, Bordeaux 1909, p. 25). Benjamin Landowski’s relaxed yet assured pose, his hand resting on an intricately carved cabinet, captures both the poise and quiet confidence of the professional class during the Belle Époque. More than a likeness, the portrait demonstrates Laparra’s interest in balancing psychological observation with graceful formal restraint.