This exquisite lithograph after Jules Pascin (1885–1930), titled Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), from the album XXe siecle, Sommaire du No. 1, 1er Mars 1938, Chroniques du jour, 13, Rue Valette, Paris (5e), Directeur: G. di San Lazzaro, originates from the 1938 edition published by Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris, in collaboration with Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris. Le Petit Chaperon Rouge exemplifies Pascin’s poetic mastery of line and form, blending sensitivity, intimacy, and emotional nuance in a composition that captures both the sensuality and melancholy of modern life.
Executed as a lithograph on velin paper, this work measures 12.5 × 9.75 inches (31.75 × 24.77 cm). Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. The edition exemplifies the superb craftsmanship of Mourlot Freres, Paris.
Artwork Details:
Artist: After Jules Pascin (1885–1930)
Title: Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), from the album XXe siecle, Sommaire du No. 1, 1er Mars 1938, Chroniques du jour, 13, Rue Valette, Paris (5e), Directeur: G. di San Lazzaro
Medium: Lithograph on velin paper
Dimensions: 12.5 × 9.75 inches (31.75 × 24.77 cm)
Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued
Date: 1938
Publisher: Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris, in collaboration with Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris
Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the album XXe siecle, Sommaire du No. 1, 1er Mars 1938, Chroniques du jour, 13, Rue Valette, Paris (5e), Directeur: G. di San Lazzaro, published by Gualtieri di San Lazzaro, editeur, Paris
About the Publication:
Gualtieri di San Lazzaro's XXe Siecle (Twentieth Century) was one of the most influential art journals of the modern era, founded in Paris in 1938 as a platform for the greatest painters, sculptors, and writers of the 20th century. San Lazzaro, a visionary editor, critic, and champion of modernism, believed that art and literature should coexist as expressions of a shared human imagination. Under his direction, XXe Siecle became a cultural bridge between Europe and the wider world, publishing special issues devoted to leading figures such as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Braque, Calder, Miro, Kandinsky, and Leger. Each edition combined essays by renowned critics and poets with original lithographs printed by the foremost ateliers of Paris, including Mourlot, Arte, and Bellini, creating a uniquely rich dialogue between text and image. Through XXe Siecle, San Lazzaro preserved the creative spirit of the avant-garde during and after World War II, championing freedom of expression and the evolution of abstraction, Surrealism, and modern thought. Over nearly four decades, the journal shaped international taste and defined the intellectual landscape of postwar art publishing. Today, XXe Siecle remains celebrated for its extraordinary synthesis of art, literature, and design, an enduring testament to Gualtieri di San Lazzaro's belief that the visual arts are the soul of the modern age.
About the Artist:
Jules Pascin (1885–1930) was a Bulgarian-born French painter and draftsman whose exquisite line, psychological depth, and lyrical sensuality made him one of the most influential and beloved figures of the Parisian avant-garde. Known as the “Prince of Montparnasse,” Pascin captured the emotional fragility, beauty, and melancholy of modern life through fluid compositions of nudes, portraits, and cafe scenes that radiated tenderness and existential introspection. Born Julius Mordecai Pincas in Vidin, Bulgaria, he studied in Vienna and Munich before settling in Paris in 1905, where he became a central figure in the Ecole de Paris—a cosmopolitan circle of artists that included Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray. Influenced by the precision of Ingres, the spontaneity of Degas, and the psychological realism of Toulouse-Lautrec, Pascin developed a distinctive style characterized by elegant draftsmanship, soft transparent colors, and an intuitive empathy for the human condition. His portraits and nudes, executed in watercolor, gouache, and oil, reveal a deep understanding of vulnerability and desire, transforming eroticism into something both poetic and humane. A key figure in the bohemian culture of early 20th-century Paris, Pascin moved effortlessly between artistic, literary, and intellectual circles, befriending Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and Kiki de Montparnasse, while influencing contemporaries such as Amedeo Modigliani and Chaim Soutine. Exhibiting widely in Paris, Berlin, and New York, he gained international acclaim for his refined technique and emotional intimacy. His art bridged the classical and the modern, blending French elegance with the psychological intensity that would later influence Balthus, Lucian Freud, and Francis Bacon. Despite his worldly charm and success, Pascin struggled with melancholy and self-doubt, themes that infused his art with both sensuality and sadness. Following his tragic death in 1930, his funeral became a defining moment in the history of Montparnasse, attended by hundreds of artists and writers who revered him as a symbol of artistic freedom and emotional truth. Today, his works are held in major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Tate Modern (London), and the Centre Pompidou (Paris). Standing alongside Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, Pascin remains one of the great poetic visionaries of modern art—a painter whose delicate line and human warmth continue to resonate with collectors and scholars alike. His highest auction record was achieved by Portrait de jeune fille espagnole (circa 1923), which sold for $1.84 million USD at Sotheby’s, New York, on November 6, 2008, reaffirming his enduring importance as one of the most psychologically profound, sensuous, and collectible artists of the 20th century.
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