Description
Preparing Vegetables by Adolphe Valette Original Painting
We are thrilled to be able to offer this rare and beautiful original oil painting by the French artist Pierre Adolph Valette (13 October 1876 – 18 April 1942). Valette was a French Impressionist painter who spent most of his career in England, and was the creator of a remarkable series of impressionistic paintings of Edwardian Manchester, the most acclaimed of which are now in the collection of Manchester Art Gallery. Today, he is chiefly remembered as L S Lowry’s tutor and his influence over the great man was significant. Lowry described Valette as “a real teacher … a dedicated teacher” and added: “I cannot over-estimate the effect on me of the coming into this drab city (Manchester) of Adolphe Valette, full of French impressionists, aware of everything that was going on in Paris”.
Most of Valette’s figurative works were produced in his early years, influenced by his academic training in France. Despite his shift toward atmospheric urban scenes during his time in England he continued to engage with figurative art, especially in his teaching. This particular piece is a lovely example of his figurative work that also demonstrates his ability to capture light and mood with very little paint.
Preparing Vegetables comes professionally framed and glazed, with a ‘Tib Lane Gallery’ label verso; this gallery was a key venue for exhibiting modern and contemporary art in Manchester, and it played a significant role in the Manchester art scene (the gallery closed in 1977). Do come to our Heskin Gallery now to view this wonderful piece of northern art history or contact us for further details.
