The five works have all been preserved in the Favre-Tessier family collection since they were produced between 1876 and 1887.

A long-standing friend and confidant of Gauguin, Claude Favre and his family served as portrait models for the painter to whom they also offered advice and support.

One of the major works to come under the hammer, the 1877 “Portrait of Claude Antoine Charles Favre” is estimated at €180,000 to €250,000 (S$291,000 to S$404,000).

(Related: Artist Jeff Koons on mone, risk, and acceptance)

Gaugin’s friendship with Claude Favre, which began in childhood, was remarkable in as much as, unlike Gaugin’s other friendships, it was not linked to the worlds of art or finance.

In the 1880s, at a time when the artist had run out of money after giving up his job at the stock market, Gauguin turned to his friend and asked Favre to store his paintings in his small Parisian apartment. Favre not only stored the paintings, he also found the artist a job, allowed him to stay in his home, and persuaded his father to pose for a portrait. Remarkably the “Portrait of Philibert Favre”, which is estimated at €60,000 to €80,000 (S$97,000 to S$129,000) served as a hiding place for “Le port de Javel” (€180,000 to 250,000 or S$291,000 to S$404.000), which had been nailed into the same frame.

The sale will also include a sketch (estimated at €20,000 to €30,000 or S$32,000 to S$48,000) that the artist produced for the Favre family, in which Gauguin caricatures the home as a pot of molasses in which he is surrounded by children.

Also under the hammer is a tambourine decorated by the artist with a price estimate of €70,000 to 100,000 euros (S$113,000 to S$161,000)

After their presentation in Paris this week, the works will be shown in Brussels from April 21 to 26, and New York from May 5 to 11, before returning to France for exhibition (in Paris from June 1 to 4) ahead of the sale. The sale will take place on June 4, 2018, at Artcurial, Paris at 20PM.

The Artcurial auction will also feature the oil on paper “Women Mending Nets in the Dunes” by Vincent Van Gogh.

(Related: Highlights from Art Basel Hong Kong)

la/ajd – Relaxnews

Photo credit: Artcurial