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Jean-Louis-Marcel COSSON (1878-1956)

Oil on canvas in excellent condition signed lower left

 

Dimensions unframed: H 21.3 in. x W 31.9 in. ; H 54 cm x W 81 cm

Dimensions framed: H 29.7 in. x W 40.6 in. ; H 75.5 cm x W 103 cm

 

 

 

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Our opinion

 

This elegant oil on canvass from Marcel Cosson is beautifully executed with soft colours. It represents the Opera Garnier which is the most thought after subject by collectors of Cosson around the globe. This painting is particularly interesting in our view thanks to the ballerina at the lower right corner which is almost sitting outside of the frame – as if the painter had captured a moment and was showing us something that was not supposed to be seen. Cosson breaks here the codes of traditional composition to bring movement and realism, an element of style which is typical of the impressionist Master Edgar Degas who inspired so much of the work of Marcel Cosson. At Family Home Fine Art, we are among the many who think that the works of Cosson are currently undervalued in the market. This painting, as one of the largest Cosson painted and in its beautiful original frame, represents, in our view, a competitively priced opportunity to acquire a truly stunning piece of art.

 

About the Artist

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Jean-Louis-Marcel Cosson was born in 1878 in Bordeaux. His first exhibition was in Paris at the Salon des Artistes Français, of which he would later become a member. He received an honourable mention at the age of 23 in 1901, and a third-place medal in 1911. He also exhibited at the Société des Beaux Arts and the Salon des Tuileries. 

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Cosson is a post-impressionist artist who developed a very distinctive style which makes him immediately recognisable among his peers. His passion was to capture a bustling Paris which was the epicentre of the Modern art world at the beginning of the twentieth century. 

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Fascinated by Edgar Degas, he almost invariably followed the themes beloved by the Impressionist Master, such as Parisian women or horse racing. But like for Degas, his most admired works remain his paintings of Ballet Dancers at the Opera Garnier. Artworks of Marcel Cosson are mainly found in Private Collections but can also be seen in the collections of the Museums of Fine Arts of Bordeaux and Rouen.

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