Lot 98: Edouard Cortes O/C, L’Opera

Edouard Leon Cortes (French, 1882-1969) oil on canvas Paris street scene entitled L’Opera and depicting a bustling street with pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages plus a cafe or shop at left, c. 1968. A flagpole topped with the French “tricolore” flag bisects the composition. In the distance stands the Palais Garnier, or Opera Garnier. Signed “EDOUARD CORTES.,” lower right. Inscribed “L’Opera,” “26654,” and “WF” (likely Wally Findlay) to stretcher along with “LB 8 F 46 x 38” stretcher label. With Findlay Galleries, Chicago sticker affixed to backing. Additional small red and white sticker inscribed “3” plus “26654” inscription to backing along with Melvin Picture Frame Co., New York sticker. Housed in a giltwood frame with textile liner and brass nameplate. Canvas: 15 in. H x 18 1/8 in. W. Frame: 23 in. H x 26 in. W. Note: This lot is accompanied by a certificate issued by the Comite Edouard Cortes, under No. EC-CEC-2025/20. 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. Negligible craquelure to black paint on carriage at far right. Scattered specks of white paint appear to be inherent. Frame with minor abrasions and losses.