Adolphe LA LYRE (Rouvres, 1848 - Paris, 1933) Mermaids enjoying themselves Oil on canvas (Original canvas) (Reduced in size) Unframed "Les sirènes s'amusent", oil on canvas, by A. La Lyre 59.25 x 78.54 in. 150.5 x 199.5 cm Provenance: Sale of the Adolphe Lalyre workshop; Paris, Hôtel Drouot, s. 6, Me Claude Robert, 20 January 1975, no. 143 ; Acquired at this sale by Gérard Lévy; Gérard Lévy Collection; Then by descent Exhibitions: Salon des Artistes Français, Paris, Palais des Champs-Élysées, April - May 1897, cat. no. 947: "Les Sirènes s'amusent". Triumph der Schöneit / Die Epoche der Salonmarelei von Makart bis Rossetti, Krems (Austria), Kunsthalle, 5 March - 30 July 2006, reproduced p. 48: "Die Sirenen amüsieren sich". Bibliography: Postcard no. 1686 Gr; ND Phot; 1897: "Salon de 1897 - Naïades, par A. La Lyre". Baschet, Ludovic, Catalogue illustré du Salon de la Société des Artistes Français de 1897, Peinture Et Sculpture, Paris, Ludovic Baschet, 1897, cat. no. 947 reproduced p. 98: "Les Sirènes s'amusent - The sirens at play". Baschet, Ludovic, Le Panorama, Salon de 1897 - N° 2 (salon des Champs-Élysées) : Le Nu, Paris, Ludovic Baschet, 1897, reproduced on p. 15: "Les Sirènes s'amusent". A painter of female nudes, encouraged in part by his master Jean-Jacques Henner, Adolphe La Lyre is best known for his sensual works featuring naiads frolicking in the waves, earning him the nickname "painter of mermaids". He made his debut at the Salon des Artistes français in 1875 and became a member in 1880, winning prizes at the Universal Exhibitions of 1889 and 1900. Also an art critic, in 1910 the painter published a work on the female nude through the ages, illustrated with female academies drawn by the author from life<a href="#_ftn1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[1]</a>. Exhibited at the Salon des Artistes français in 1897 (cat. no. 947), our canvas is striking for its spectacular character and established its artist's reputation once and for all. Inspired by Art Nouveau and the prevailing symbolism, as well as by the ancient myths revisited by Offenbach, La Lyre depicts in a monumental format three seductive naiads with milky flesh, adorned with gleaming jewels, alternating blond, brown and red hair, clinging to a rock in the grip of the roaring foam of the waves. <a href="#_ftnref1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[1]</a> La Lyre, Adolphe, Le Nu féminin à travers les âges, Paris, Armand Guérinet, 1910. Adolphe LA LYRE (Rouvres, 1848 - Paris, 1933) 150.5 x 199.5 cm A painter of female nudes, encouraged in part by his master Jean-Jacques Henner, Adolphe La Lyre is best known for his sensual works depicting naiads frolicking in the waves, earning him the nickname "painter of mermaids". He made his debut at the Salon des Artistes français in 1875 and became a member in 1880, winning prizes at the Universal Exhibitions of 1889 and 1900. Also an art critic, in 1910 the painter published a work on the female nude through the ages, illustrated with female academies drawn by the author from life<a href="#_ftn1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[1]</a>. Exhibited at the Salon des Artistes français in 1897 (cat. no. 947), our canvas is striking for its spectacular character and established its artist's reputation once and for all. Inspired by Art Nouveau and the prevailing symbolism, as well as by the ancient myths revisited by Offenbach, La Lyre depicts in a monumental format three seductive naiads with milky flesh, adorned with gleaming jewels, alternating blond, brown and red hair, clinging to a rock in the grip of the roaring foam of the waves. <a href="#_ftnref1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[1]</a> La Lyre, Adolphe, Le Nu féminin à travers les âges, Paris, Armand Guérinet, 1910.