Jean Launois (1898-1942) Opium Smokers, Indochina, Ink Drawing

 Jean Launois (1898-1942) 
Opium smokers, Indochina
Stamp of the artit's estate on the lower right
Black ink on paper
22.5 x 30.5 cm
Framed : 38 x 46 cm

This beautiful drawing, a fine example of Jean Launois' particular art, dates from the artist's stay in Indochina, from which he brought a group of works. An exhibition devoted to this Indochinese period of the artist's production was held at the Musée de l'Abbaye Sainte-Croix, Sables d'Olonne in 1998.

About the artist :
Of Vendée origin, Jean Launois very quickly showed a sure talent for drawing and was encouraged in this by his parents. He trained with his fellow Vendeans Charles Milcendeau and Auguste Lepère and then entered the Académie Jullian in Paris.
Enrolled in the First World War in 1916, he continued to draw at the front, and produced numerous portraits of soldiers, which he presented in 1918 to the curator of the Musée du Luxembourg, Léonce Bénédite. The latter bought several works from him, including the magnificent portrait of Charlot and that of the Corporal in a police cap, now in the National Modern Art Museum in Paris. It was also at this time that Launois painted the portrait of Anatole France that was featured on the cover of L'Illustration on 1 January 1924. He won a grant that allowed him to spend two years at the Villa Abd-el-Tif in Algiers, a stay that marked him considerably and attached him forever to this country where he was to end his days. In Algeria, he rubbed shoulders with the painters of the Algiers school, such as Étienne Bouchaud, and became friends with Étienne Dinet and Albert Marquet. In 1923, he won the Indochina prize and began a long journey through Asia, on foot, on horseback or by boat, during which he drew extensively.

His works are exhibited and preserved in many museums, such as the museums of Algiers and Rabat in North Africa, but also several museums in France, including the Musée de l'Annonciade in Saint Tropez and the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris.