Rating and value of paintings, drawings and tapestries by Louis Toffoli

A remarkable but forgotten painter, Louis Toffoli was an artist of many talents. He is famous for his lithographs and drawings.

He also produced cartoons for the Aubusson tapestry in spite of himself, and began his career with fashion designs in the Faubourg Saint Honoré. A look back at this unusual artist and past auctions of his work.

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Artist's rating and value 

Acknowledged painter of his time, Louis Toffoli is an artist fairly valued on the art market. Prized by collectors, his quotation is stable.

Naturally, his paintings are his most sought-after works, although many lithographs can be found on the auction market.

A signed work by Louis Toffoli can fetch tens of thousands of euros at auction, as witness his painting Jonques, le soir, auctioned for €34,000 in Cannes in 2011.

Order of value from the most basic to the most prestigious

The artist's style and technique

Louis Toffoli boldly explored a wide range of genres and techniques, enriching his visual universe with a varied and dynamic palette.

He excelled particularly in lithography, where he transposed his play on light and transparency, but his work didn't stop there.

A painter above all, he produced powerful works exploring recurring motifs and scenes from everyday life, often imbued with gentleness and movement.

He also lent himself to fashion design, adding a timeless elegance to his lines, while taking up sculpture, mastering bronze and chasing in particular with great finesse.

In 1976, the famous manufacture d'Aubusson integrated his work into the art of tapestry: his works then became tapestry cartoons in intense, expressive colors, bringing a new dimension to his work.

Since then, other pieces woven from his creations have seen the light of day, and today they can sometimes be found in auction rooms, testifying to the durability and scope of his work in the art world.

He is stylistically close to artists such as Amrita Sher-Gil, Georges Rouault, Fernand Léger or Marc Chagall.

The life of Louis Toffoli

Louis Toffoli (1907 - 1999) was born on the Austrian coast, in Trieste, at the heart of a family at the crossroads of cultures, with an Italian father and a Slovenian mother.

When the First World War broke out, his family was forced to flee to Italy, an uprooting that would shape his view of the world. In Italy, Toffoli developed a passion for art, avidly absorbing all the works within his reach.

Returning to Trieste, he made a detour to naval school, without really finding his place there, before multiplying jobs while taking courses at the Academy of Fine Arts.

From 1928 onwards, he began to present his first canvases, where the influence of Constructivism blends with futuristic touches. 

Rapidly, his works caught the attention of the Blackshirts, the fascist group serving Mussolini, who saw in him a promising artist for their propaganda. But Toffoli, true to his convictions, categorically refused to serve the regime.

Taking advantage of a trip to France, he left Italy clandestinely, settling in Paris without papers or resources. In the capital, his talent was noticed by couturier Denis Kalman, who hired him and thus offered him the beginnings of stability.

Toffoli excelled at creating models, became a sought-after pattern-maker and, thanks to this success, finally obtained proper French papers.

Bolstered by this recognition, he set up on his own, creating designs for several fashion houses in the Paris suburbs, while also producing posters.

In 1935, he won first prize in a competition organized by the Ministry of Colonies, and the League of Nations also rewarded him with a second prize for another of his works.

The doors of the great Parisian salons were now open to him, and he exhibited at both the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des artistes indépendants.

When the Second World War broke out, Toffoli once again proved his courage by joining the Resistance as a liaison officer from Touraine.

After the war, he officially became a French citizen in 1947 and changed his first name to Louis, an identity that will be remembered for this unique artist, whose works are profoundly human and marked by his extraordinary career.

Focus on La maternité des fleurs, Louis Toffoli

In La Maternité des fleurs, Louis Toffoli delivers a restrained scene, where every detail seems thought out to convey the simplicity and strength of maternal bonds. Against an intense, almost vibrant red background, a woman seen from behind carries her child tied up in a sober shawl.

The choice of warm tones, from the yellow hat to the soft folds of her garment, draws the eye straight in. She holds a bouquet of white arums, flowers associated with purity, whose curves are gracefully outlined in the pictorial landscape.

Toffoli here uses his technique of superimposition and transparency to give an effect of volume and light, allowing each form to stand out without ever weighing down the composition.

The rendering is almost reminiscent of stained glass, each color seemingly filtered through the light. Through these effects of transparency, the artist emphasizes the intimacy of the scene, with no face or apparent expression, as if the viewer were entering a suspended, timeless moment. 

By playing on the simplicity of the lines and the elegance of the staging, Toffoli puts forward a universal vision of maternity: stripped of all ostentation, it expresses a discreet, yet profound love.

The strength of this work lies in its ability to render the ordinary poetic, to immortalize an everyday gesture by conferring on it a dignity and gentleness that touch the heart.

Louis Toffoli - Selected moments

Louis Toffoli's legacy

Louis Toffoli's legacy extends far beyond his works, leaving a deep imprint on art history through a unique approach to light and transparency.

His instantly recognizable style deploys a palette of softness and vitality that captures everyday scenes with intensity, depicting a vibrant, warm humanity.

At the heart of his creations, each gesture and color seems to carry a fragment of his personal history, bearing witness to his multicultural roots, travels and seminal encounters.

From refined lithographs to sumptuous tapestries produced by the Aubusson manufactory, each work stands out as an exploration of matter and color, revealing the search for truth by a passionate artist in search of meaning.

Today, his works continue to inspire enthusiasts and collectors around the world, while several museums in France and abroad devote spaces to the preservation and presentation of his work.

Toffoli doesn't just illustrate subjects: he imbues his creations with a palpable emotion, a sensitive approach that transcends the frame to captivate and touch the viewer's soul.

His influence also resonates with contemporary artists who, inspired by his approach, also privilege humanity and emotion in their works.

Through this legacy, Louis Toffoli leaves not only timeless works, but also a lesson in life and art that makes his career an indelible testimony and a tribute to artistic expression in its purest form. 

His signature

Louis Toffoli's works are not all signed. He signs " Toffoli ".

Although there are variations, here's a first example of his signature :

Our team remains at your disposal to identify your works.

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