Camille HILAIRE (1916-2004) - Lot 233

Camille HILAIRE (1916-2004) Happiness Oil on canvas, signed lower right and dated on the back 1955 with the words "Peintres témoins de leur temps" ("Painters as witnesses of their time"). H_179.7 cm W_150 cm This important oil on canvas was executed for the Salon Les Peintres Témoins de leur Temps, held in Paris at the Musée Galliera between March and May 1955, whose theme was Le Bonheur. A preparatory study of this work is reproduced on page 138 of the exhibition catalog. Founded in 1951 by the painter Isis Kischka, the Salon Les Peintres Témoins de leur Temps brought together some one hundred painters, who worked around a single theme (1951, Le Travail, 1953, Le Dimanche, 1954, L'Homme dans la ville, 1955, Le Bonheur, 1956, Réhabilitation du portrait, 1957, Le Sport, 1958, Les Parisiennes, ...). The last edition was published in 1982. In 1954, Camille Hilaire illustrated the book Metz pour Nous Deux by Georges Coanet, published by Paul Even in Metz. The painting Le Bonheur can be compared with the compositions created for the book: chromatic range, composition (couple and boat) and decor (Moselle riverbank). We would like to thank the Comité Hilaire for the information it provided. A certificate from Mr. Christophe Berteaux can be provided on request.