A Montmartre city street scene painted by Maurice Utrillo circa 1937 or 39. Signed, and entitled "Montmarte" followed by writing which reads either "E Lave" or "E Sacre" or "& Sacre", followed by "Coeur".
My mother purchased the painting 13 years ago at a yard sale, from a gentleman who was selling all of his possessions cheaply, in a desperate attempt to quickly raise cash for a plane ticket to Canada to see his dying mother before she passed. He claimed that his mother, who was French and had been involved in the art scene in France in the 20's and 30's, had been a friend of Utrillo, and had been gifted the painting by the artist himself . There was also another painting with a similar background from a different artist, Charles Cobell, and my mother bought them both together for less than $30 total. The Cobell has been authenticated and confirmed to be genuine.
Thank you! Kristi Brown Webber [email protected] or [email protected]. (702) 234-3790
