VLAHO BUKOVAC (1855-1922): PORTRAIT OF THE PAINTER'S WIFE

/ 1897 / Oil on canvas. Signed lower left  “Vlaho Bukovac 97” / 51 x 33 cm
This famous Croatian painter of Italian descent, an artist of the late Impressionist, Symbolist and Art Nouveau period who was known throughout Europe, had a special relationship to Prague and many Czech artists, particularly to Jan Dědina, who held a posthumous exhibition of Bukovac's work in June 1925. This exhibition resulted in the sale of 178 oil paintings and dozens of other works to private estates in Prague and to this day, his rare works still occasionally surface in Prague and are often the center of interest among art collectors. From the assessment by PhDr. Michael Zachař: "This painting calls forth the advantages of Bukovac's mastery of painting, especially his refined sense of color and harmonious inner expression. The technique still relates in part to paintings of the 1890s, when the seeds of new art movements started to be sewn into the dominant official style of historicism. The smooth painting technique and signature match with published works in public collections. The majesty of the model, but also the blurred expression of special detachment, testify to the Paris style and the international style of around 1900." Expert assessment: Professor Michael Zachař. Restoration analysis: Martin Marton, MFA.