Alfred Jonniaux (Belgium/California, 1882-1974), "Chez Nanette," oil on canvas painting depicting an early 20th century bar interior with two patrons, one seated in the foreground and another standing beside the bar with lit cigarette in hand, and a blonde female bartender standing before shelves filled with bottles of wine. The illuminated faces of the figures stand out in contrast to their dark clothing and the dimly lit ambiance of the room. Unsigned. Artist estate stamp and Hoover Gallery, San Francisco label en verso. Housed in a molded giltwood frame. Sight – 24 3/4" H x 22 3/4"W. Frame – 30"H x 28"W. Biography: Alfred Jonniaux was primarily known as a portrait painter. He was born in Belgium and studied at the Academie des Beaux Arts in Brussels, and as a draftsman in Paris before beginning a career as a portraitist in London. He immigrated to the United States during World War II, and became a U.S. citizen in 1946. During his first decade in America, he established studios in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. and received portrait commissions from many of the most prominent political and society figures of the period, including President Franklin Roosevelt. His work is in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, the Ohio Historical Society and the Butler Institute of American Art. (Biographical information from the Smithsonian Institute Archives, Askart.).

CONDITION: Wax lining. UV light reveals some inpainting to sides and edges, and possibly to the face of figure in the foreground. Few spots of minor scattered craquelure.