Madame Flore Lesieur by Kees van Dongen

Kees van Dongen
1877-1968 | Dutch-French

Madame Flore Lesieur

Signed "van Dongen" (upper left)
Oil on canvas

"You have to want to touch a painting, for it to be a pleasure for all the senses." –Kees van Dongen

This captivating portrait by Kees van Dongen embodies the glamour and sophistication of Parisian high society, beautifully portrayed through his subject, Madame Flore Lesieur, the wife of aviation innovator Henri Lesieur. Painted in 1939, Van Dongen's mastery of vibrant color and rich texture is on full display, as he elegantly fuses modernist sensibilities with the timeless charm of classical portraiture. 

While van Dongen painted iconic celebrities such as Josephine Baker and Brigitte Bardot, his portraits of Parisian socialites of the early 20th century remain among his most important. Madame Flore is depicted in a flowing and feathery white gown, enhanced by a sumptuous fur coat that nearly jumps off the canvas to marvelous effect. The angelic white ang gray tones that dominate the canvas are expertly punctuated by her bright teal sash, glowing skin, and alluring red lips, cheeks and hair—emphasizing Van Dongen's ability to elevate beauty and femininity in a manner that feels both luxurious and avant-garde. Her wide, expressive eyes—an iconic hallmark of van Dongen’s portraiture—immediately draw the viewer in, evoking both a sense of intimacy and the artist’s fascination with the female form.

Every element of this portrait exudes elegance and sophistication, a fitting tribute to one of the most influential women of her time. Flore Lesieur, portrayed here with a delicate grace, was not only celebrated for her own social stature but also for her connection to her husband’s trailblazing work with Air France in the post-World War II era. These included launching trans-Atlantic passenger services and introducing innovative sleeper flights, revolutionizing commercial aviation. His accomplishments, such as overseeing Air France’s move to New York’s Idlewild Airport (now JFK) and receiving the prestigious title of Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, marked him as a leader in his field.

The Lesieurs later relocated to Miami Beach, where they continued to shape society through their philanthropic initiatives. Together, they established the Henri and Flore Lesieur Foundation and endowed the Henri and Flore Lesieur Chair in Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, leaving an enduring legacy.

Van Dongen received his early artistic training at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam and later moved to Paris in the early 1900s. After settling in the Montmartre district, then the artistic hub of the city, van Dongen found himself immersed in an environment that stimulated his creativity and inspired him to begin exhibiting his paintings. Even in his earliest shows his works were showcased alongside the artistic masters of the day. At the 1905 Salon d'Automne, van Dongen's paintings were hung in the same gallery as the highly esteemed artist Henri Matisse, a deep honor for the younger van Dongen. Importantly, it was from this pivotal showing that the Fauves—the "wild beasts" of the early 1900s—were born. Matisse had pioneered the Fauvist technique, exemplified by intensely expressive colors and bold brushwork. Van Dongen's early paintings bore the hallmarks of this explosive expression, ushering him into the circle of the leading avant-garde painters of the day.

An artist whose career was defined by coloristic expression and unyielding originality, Kees van Dongen and his unique style grabbed the attention of early 20th-century art connoisseurs, ranking him among the leading modernists of the era. Above all, van Dongen was dedicated to the subject of the modern urban woman, and they remained central to his output throughout his career. Today, van Dongen's artworks grace museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, among others.

This work will be included in the forthcoming van Dongen Digital Catalogue Raisonné by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute.

Painted 1939

Canvas: 43 1/2" high x 35 1/2" wide (110.49 x 90.17 cm)
Framed: 50 1/4" high x 42 3/8" wide x 3" deep (127.64 x 107.63 x 7.62 cm)

Provenance:
Madame Flore Lesieur (the sitter)
Private Collection, Paris (by descent)
Bass Museum of Art, Miami
Private collection