Claude Venard, French, 1913 1999- Bretagne, 1956; oil on canvas, signed, lower right; titled and dated 1956, 70 x 58cm (ARR) Provenance: Arthur Tooth & Sons Ltd, London No.C9923; Private collection, London Note: The following lots 24 to 30 are from a collection of the works of Claude Venard that were acquired directly from Arthur Tooths & Sons Ltd., London, and have remained in the same collection since this time. Venard received international acclaim during the 1950s and was championed by the critics André Salmon, and Waldemar George whom described his painting as “Apocalyptic art!" Beings and everyday things suddenly regain their meaning. Emotional values are once more felt. His Post-Cubist works with their characteristic heavily impasto technique reveals this combination of the ruthless realism of his vision and the fantasy of his imagination. Claude Venard had become a highly celebrated artist having featured in exhibitions around the world since 1935. He held numerous successful one man shows around the word Romanet-Vercel, Bernheim-Jeune, Romanet Gallery, Kleeman Gallery, The Fine Arts Association, the Knoedler Gallery, the Lefevre Gallery and at Arthur Tooth & Sons, from where this collection of works originate. The artist is represented in numerous major public collections worldwide including at Tate Modern; Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris and the Whitney Museum, New York. With thanks to the descendants of Arthur Tooth & Sons, for their assistance cataloguing this work. Please refer to department for condition report