Lot 97: Edouard Cortes O/C, Place de la Madeleine

Edouard Leon Cortes (French, 1882-1969) oil on canvas Paris street scene entitled Place de la Madeleine and depicting a bustling street after a rainfall with pedestrians, horse-drawn carriages, a flower card, shops, and cafes at left. In the distance stands the Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, or La Madeleine. Signed “EDOUARD CORTES,” lower right. Inscribed  “26653” and “MADELEINE” to stretcher along with sticker with printed “PB 9800” numbering and additional “LB 8 F 46 x 38” stretcher label. With Findlay Galleries, Chicago sticker affixed to backing along with Wally Findlay Galleries, Chicago / Palm Beach tag. Additional small red and white sticker inscribed “6” plus “26653” inscription to backing. Back of frame inscribed “13056 – 8F Cortes.” Housed in a giltwood frame with textile liner and brass nameplate. Canvas: 15 1/8″ H x 18 1/4″ W. Frame: 23″ H x 26″ W. Note: This lot is accompanied by a certificate issued by the Comite Edouard Cortes, under No. EC-CEC-2025/21. It will be included in the supplement to the catalogue raisonne of Edouard Cortes’s work which is currently being prepared. We thank Findlay Galleries for providing additional provenance. Biography: Edouard Leon Cortes, born into a family of French and Spanish artists, gained immediate fame as a teenager after he submitted a Parisian street scene to the Salon des Artistes Francais. He went on to become a member of the Societe des Artistes Francais and exhibited regularly at the Societe Nationale and the Salon des Independants in Paris. He remains best known for his street scenes, which portrayed life on the streets of the City of Lights during the Belle Epoque, even long after that era had ended.

PROVENANCE: Acquired from Edouard Cortes, July 1968, by Wally Findlay Galleries; Acquired from Wally Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida, November 1968, by William Coe; Acquired from Coe by family of consignor, thence by descent. 

CONDITION: Very good condition. With negligible scattered surface accretions/specks (which flouresce under UV light). Frame with minor abrasions and losses.