Eugeniusz Zak (1884-1926), Untitled (Family*), ca. 1922
Pencil on paper, 53.5 x 43.5 cm (frame), 22.5 x 28.5 cm (in light passe partou)
Signed in lower right corner.
Distinctive trace of a fold, rubbing.
The work comes from the collection of Lucie and Clément Pech**.
* The drawing is probably a preparatory sketch for the 1922 painting "Family" (the location of the painting remains unknown - only a photograph, in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, which was among the documents from the legacy of the Parisian Zak Gallery, attests to its existence; cf. photo attached).
**
The work is from the collection of Lucie Pech*.
*
Clément Pech, born June 28, 1882, was a French military officer and entrepreneur. He began his career in the army in 1902 and served until 1928. He was stationed in Czestochowa from 1918 to 1923, as part of a settlement between the newly formed Polish government and its French counterpart. Under it, French officers assisted in the establishment of Polish military structures, in return for which they received promotions. Clément Pech, then in the rank of lieutenant, was stationed in Częstochowa. He even received the Cross of Valor from the Polish government (a photo of the ID card entitling him to wear the decoration is in the documentation accompanying the painting). In Czestochowa he met Lucia (functioning in France as a Frenchized version of the name Lucie) Henig, who came from a well-to-do Jewish family. The couple married and in 1923. Lucie and Clément moved to France and settled in Saint-Mandé, a wealthy sub-Paris town.
Back in France, Lucie and Clément became friends with many artists. Clément was an artist himself and exhibited his work many times at the Paris Salons. Lucie, on the other hand, was not only characterized by great artistic sensitivity, but her knowledge of Polish, Russian, Ukrainian and even Lithuanian was also a great asset. As a result, she easily established contacts with many École de Paris artists who came from Eastern Europe and often spoke French poorly. So Lucie helped them with administrative matters, translated documents and correspondence, and returned small favors, among other things. According to the story of Frédéric Pech (grandson of Lucie and Clément), his father André (son of the couple) often recalled that his mother used to visit Montparnassie regularly, especially at the famous Le Dome restaurant, where the cream of international artists active in Paris at the time would gather. One of the artists who was among Lucie's circle of acquaintances and friends was Eugene Zak[1]. The couple maintained numerous contacts with him, as evidenced by documents preserved in the family, as well as other works by the artist, which are in the Pechs' family collection (cf. auction items 45 and 47).
