A Moroccan Winter
  Women in the spotlight at La Mamounia
 

Following the success of the Moroccan & African Spirit sale on 4th November, Artcurial will be back at La Mamounia on 30th December for the 5th edition of A Moroccan Winter, Majorelle & his Contemporaries and Moroccan & African Spirit sale.

The sale will highlight works by John Lavery, Rudolf Ernst, Mahmoud Mokhtar, Chéri Samba and Seydou Keïta, as well as women artists such as Esther Mahlangu and Marion Boehm, whose work questions the place of women in society. 

Majorelle & his Contemporaries
Women will be honoured in the Majorelle & his Contemporaries chapter, along with four works by Jacques Majorelle.

Rudolf Ernst's oil on canvas La mélodie, estimated MAD 700,000 - 900,000 / €70,000 - 90,000, depicts a sumptuous interior with two female musicians. The almost photographic precision with which Rudolf Ernst paints the jewels and shimmering dresses of the two women reflects the artist's fascination for the Orient. In John Lavery's oil on canvas Jasmin, Fez, estimated MAD 600,000 - 800,000 / €60,000 - 80,000, the woman is mysterious, with eyes underlined with black kohl that contrasts with the pale pink of her ceremonial dress.

José Cruz-Herrera also uses a portrait format in his oil on canvas Les deux amies, Fez, estimated MAD 600,000 - 800,000 / €60,000 - 80,000. Throughout his career, the artist produced numerous representations of Moroccan women, whose beauty fascinated him. In Mahmoud Mokhtar's work, this ode to beauty takes on a political tone in the bronze Au Bord du Nil, estimated MAD 800,000 - 1,200,000 / €80,000 - 120,000. The sculpture represents a fellah - an emblem of the Egyptian revolutionary movement - adjusting her veil to reveal her beauty. 

Moroccan & African Spirit
The second part of the sale entitled Moroccan & African Spirit which will be held on 30th December will also feature images of women, figures of power who question the history and inequalities of society.

Marion Boehm’s work Lotus shoes, estimated MAD 100,000 - 150,000 / €10,000 - 15,000, examines the relationship between African, Asian and Western cultures from past to present, and questions the history of these cultures. Her mixed media collages with traditional African masks, beads, shells and fabrics highlight the beauty, loyalty and positive energy of African women. This work will be accompanied by Chéri Samba's acrylic and glitter on canvas entitled Le risque du métier, estimated MAD 400,000 - 600,000 / €40,000 - 60,000. Very present in popular Congolese art and in the work of Chéri Samba, the seductive mermaid associated with the aquatic divinity Mami Wata represents the spirits of water. She symbolises the desire for wealth and promises success to the men she meets.

In Esther Mahlangu's acrylic on canvas Untitled from 2010, estimated MAD 40,000 - 60,000 / €4,000 - 6,000, femininity is associated to the representation of political resistance. The artist represents the art of Ndebele women, a symbol of resistance in South Africa at the time of racial segregation. Finally, in the portrait of this Khassonké woman by Seydou Keïta, estimated MAD 300,000 - 500,000 / €30,000 - 50,000, the richness of the attributes and the position of the model underline the social importance of this woman of power. 

Information
Public exhibition in Marrakech 
Wednesday 27th to Saturday 30th December 2023  
La Mamounia, Marrakech 

Auction in Marrakech
Saturday 30th December 2023 - 5pm 
La Mamounia, Marrakech 

View the virtuel exhibition

Contacts
Marrakech 
Soraya Abid
Tél. +212 5 24 20 78 20 

Paris 
Florence Conan
Tél. +33 1 42 99 16 15