London: A painting of celebrated Spanish actress-singer Raquel Meller, whom Charlie Chaplin negotiated unsuccessfully to have a role in his film "City Lights", is expected to fetch 200,000 pounds at a sale here next month.
Spanish artist Joaquin Sorolla`s painting `La Bella Raquel` is one of the highlights of Bonhams 19th Century Paintings auction on September 29.
Acclaimed as a genius by Sarah Bernhardt, Meller was a highly popular singer who started life singing couplets to earn a living. These were considered an undignified choice for a serious singer, but with her charm and charisma, Meller managed to raise the genre and make it an acceptable art form.
She went on to make her debut as a film actress in 1919. As well as performing all over Spain and France, she was the first Spanish popular singer to succeed in the US where her live concerts broke box office records. On April 26, 1926, she appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
By 1930, she had attracted the attention and admiration of Charlie Chaplin, who negotiated unsuccessfully for her to have a role in his film "City Lights" (1931). However, he did incorporate her hit song `The violetera` as the film`s major theme.
Meller continued to live the life of a star in France after the Spanish Civil War, enjoying friendships with characters such as Maurice Chevalier and Sarah Bernhardt.
After a brief spell in Argentina, she moved back to Barcelona where she remained until her death following a fall in 1962.
Sorolla was infatuated with Meller and his feelings are clearly reflected in the quality and appeal of this painting, which is the second portrait that he completed of her, the auction house said.
The first was painted in 1918, but, "this later example is a more joyful expression of their relationship, beautifully displaying her captivating character and stunning looks".
The painting is estimated to fetch 150,000-200,000 pounds.
Says Charlie O`Brien, head of Bonhams 19th century paintings department, "The bravura of the brush strokes show the artist at his most fluid and confident. Although portraits by Sorolla do appear relatively frequently at auction, we are very excited to be offering such a fresh and vibrant work consigned from a private Spanish collection."
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.