HENRI-GABRIEL IBELS (1867-1936) EXPOSITION H. G. IBELS A LA BODINIERE. 1894. 241/4x173/4 inches. Condition B+: repaired tears in margins and image; restored loss in bottom right corner; overpainting in margins. Charles Bodinier, who had been general secretary of the prestigious Comedie Francaise was a very dynamic man (see lot 10). One of his major projects was a Theatre d'application that he opened on the rue St. Lazare. It was a cross between an actor's studio and small theatre, which met with tremendous success. It quickly became a meeting place for Paris' avant-garde artistic community. Yvette Guilbert, who often performed there, affectionately nicknamed the place La Bodiniere, and that name was instantly adopted. In the exhibition hall connected to the theater, Bodinier opened a gallery with an exhibition of works by Steinlen (see Swann auction #1991 lot 108), and followed that with a show of Ibels'. Ibels was one of the most prominent young artists in Paris in the 1890s. He was a founding member of the nabis group and a close friend of Toulouse-Lautrec, with whom he collaborated on several projects. Because he was more interested in producing illustrations for magazines, and spent more time making lithographs rather than oil paintings, he is less remembered and under rated today. Politically, Ibels was a socialist, like Steinlen, and he often depicted the struggles of the working class in his art. But his favorite subjects were the popular shows around Paris; the street fairs, café concerts and circuses. To promote this show of his own work he goes straight to this source of inspiration and depicts strongmen, a singer, a pierrot, harlequin and actress, all carefully organized around the page to leave room for the text. This version, before text, is one that Bodinier, like the Salon des Cent, would include in his print run to offer to poster collectors. Maitres 138 (var.), DFP II 475 (var.), Reims 746 (var.), Maindron p. 46 (var.).
