Paul Signac's Masterpiece of Venice, 'Saint-Georges. Couchant (Venise)', is unveiled in Paris

Saint-Georges. Couchant (Venise) comes to auction with impeccable provenance, having passed through the hands of three of the 20th century’s most remarkable patrons: Gustave Fayet, René Aubry, and Dr. Maurice Girardin — each guided by the renowned dealer Eugène Druet, who handled the work no fewer than three times. Fayet, a visionary supporter of Paul Gauguin and Odilon Redon, acquired the painting directly from Druet in 1905, alongside six other works by Signac. Letters between the artist and Fayet reveal a deep mutual admiration, with Signac personally requesting the painting’s loan for the pivotal 1907 exhibition. The Fondation Louis Vuitton will be devoting a retrospective to Fayet and his collection in 2026, as part of its ongoing series on the great collectors of the 20th century (Chtchoukine in 2016-1017 and Morozov in 2021-2022).

In 1916, the work found a new home with Dr. Maurice Girardin, a legendary collector of Impressionist and Modern art. Girardin later recounted his first encounter with the painting — a moment that sparked his lifelong passion for collecting:

“Mobilisé en 14-18, il m’arrivait dans mes permissions de visiter des galeries modernes. Un jour, entrant chez Druet, rue Royale, j’admirai un Signac de Venise ; timidement je me renseignai du prix : 500 francs. Je ne les avais pas. Non moins timidement, je demandais de le payer en deux fois. Madame Druet accepta, ce fut mon premier tableau.”

(“When I was drafted in 14-18, I sometimes visited modern galleries on leave. One day, entering Druet’s in the Rue Royale, I admired a Signac from Venice; shyly I asked about the price: 500 francs. I didn’t have it. No less timidly, I asked to pay in two installments. Madame Druet agreed, and it was my first painting.”)

The work has remained with the same family since Girardin’s collection was sold in 1953 and now emerges at auction as not only a rare example of Signac’s scenes of Venice, but the most valuable works depicting Venice by Signac ever to be offered at auction.