Early to Mid 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction
Thursday, 5 - Thursday, 12 October 2023
1981 Paris Gallery Exhibition Poster featuring Camille Bombois
Current Bid $40 (7 bids, reserve met)
This lot is now closed 12 Oct 6:12 PM (NZST)
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Lot Details
1981 Paris Gallery Exhibition Poster. Featuring the work of French artist Camille Bombois. Measuring 700mm by 460mm. Some surface distressing though will frame well. Camille Bombois was a French naïve painter especially noted for paintings of circus scenes. Bombois was born in Venarey-les-Laumes in the Côte-d'Or, in humble circumstances. His childhood was spent living on a barge and attending a local school until the age of twelve, when he became a farm worker. During his free time he drew and competed in wrestling competitions at local fairs. He became a champion local wrestler before joining a traveling circus as a strongman and wrestler. Bombois grew into a strapping, muscular individual, who worked as a farmer, circus strongman, Paris subway builder, and newspaper machine operator. He painted on the side and sometimes drew artistic inspiration from his other occupations. Bombois began to dedicate more time to painting after distinguished military service in World War I. He attracted immediate attention from journalists, collectors, and dealers who saw his works displayed on Montmartre’s sidewalks in the early 1920s. By 1938, when he was included in MoMA’s Masters of Popular Painting exhibition, Bombois stood out among self-taught artists for already having an established career on both sides of the Atlantic.
