Jean DU CHATENET
THE LIFE AND WORK OF FERNAND LÉGER
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Fernand Léger - Study for The Great Parade 1950 Gouache on paper, 29 x 37cm, Private Coll. (detail)
The Expert
Jean du Chatenet works tirelessly to ensure the enduring legacy of Fernand Léger's work; a substantial body of work, it is collected worldwide. For the past ten years, the incessant consultation of works, catalogs, articles, numerous books, and the examination of unique archives have enabled Jean du Chatenet, together with the Léger Committee, to comment on the life and work of Fernand Léger. The expert's fascination with the painter Fernand Léger, both the man and the artist, dates back to the early years of his initiation into the artistic realm, specifically the concept of Art, which was very present in his family in the form of paintings, sculptures, and antique furniture. In 2005, he discovered the locality of Lisores in Normandy and the Fernand Léger Farm-Museum, a building that had been virtually abandoned for fifteen years, whose beauty overwhelmed and fascinated him to the point of acquiring it. The former owners, son, grandson, granddaughter of Nadia Léger, and rights holders of Fernand Léger, have since the transfer of ownership continuously supported Jean du Chatenet in his plan for the rehabilitation and development of the premises. Jean du Chatenet's vocation, and his passion for Fernand Léger, is reinforced: the synergy developing around the project is exciting. Since then, Fernand Léger has been the focus of all his investments and thoughts, especially as he frequently stays at the artist's former property in Lisores, where he has gradually built up a comprehensive library of reference works and beautifully illustrated books, the oldest being Blaise Cendrars's "L'Ange de Notre-Dame" from 1919 and the most recent, "Paris, ma ville," written by the same Cendrars in 1954. Jean du Chatenet is now not only the owner of the Lisores Farm-Museum, which will open to the public in 2020, but also of Nadia Léger's personal archives, on the basis of which he founded the Léger Committee. The Léger Committee operates under the patronage of Nadia's grandson and great-granddaughter; it issues certificates of authenticity and is able to provide opinions on various works: lithographs, bronzes, ceramics, and mosaics. It meets once a month. Works must be submitted – by appointment only – to theLéger Committee 23 rue Bessières 75017 Paris contact@comiteleger.fr
Jean du Chatenet relies on the expertise and trust of the rights holders, descendants of Wanda, Nadia Léger's only daughter, a student of Fernand Léger and partly raised by him from her birth in 1927; they are working with him to continue the Catalogue Raisonné of the artist's complete works. The connections he has forged with the Biot Museum, as well as with Fernand Léger's heirs and close friends, along with the acquisition of several archives related to the artist, enable Jean du Chatenet to attest to the authenticity of Fernand Léger's works, which have too often been counterfeited in the past, and thus to help revitalize the market in a way that promotes the artist's influence, particularly concerning drawings and gouaches. The influence of Fernand Léger, a major 20th-century artist, and the recognition of his work, guide the members of the Léger Committee and Jean du Chatenet in particular, for whom the goal is to enable collectors, buyers, enthusiasts, researchers, and his colleagues to regain, through his work, assurance and serenity in their approach to Fernand Léger's oeuvre, an inimitable style and a genius that elevates him beyond trends into the pantheon of the greats.Contact
Jean DU CHATENET
23 rue Bessières
75017 Paris
+33 (0)6 88 60 90 33
jeanduchatenet@gmail.com
www.comiteleger.fr
[UFE number : 472]
