Giovanni Boldini

Just after the turn of the century, when Vito Doria notes Boldini was at the height of his considerable powers, Gertrude Stein wrote: 

“When the times have established values at their correct places, Boldini will be recognised as the greatest painter of the last century. All the new school was born of him, since he first simplified the line and the planes."

Amongst the most talented draftsmen of his day, Giovanni Boldini managed to capture the essence of a Society figure in a few elegant lines. He was born in Ferrara in 1842 and studied in Florence before becoming a revered portrait painter in Paris in the late 19^th Century. Always popular in London for his eye-catching, Degas-like, line Boldini’s works continue to be highly prized by collectors.

In 2010 a painting by Giovanni Boldini fetched over $6.5m. His work can be viewed at the Museum of Modern Art, Rome and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.