Pineapple Pomegranates Fruit Display with Leaves Shelves Modernist Still Life

Title: Pineapple Pomegranates Fruit Display with Leaves Shelves Modernist Still Life
Guy Nicod (French 1923 – 2021)
Gouache on artist paper, unframed
Size: 24 x 18.25 inches (height x width)
Provenance: Artists estate, France
Condition: Good overall condition with light edge wear, minor handling marks, and slight rippling to the paper consistent with age. There is one small tear near the bottom left corner. Colours remain vibrant and well preserved.

Description:
This vivid and richly composed gouache by Guy Nicod presents an exuberant modernist still life bursting with tropical colour and rhythmic structure. At the centre sits a boldly rendered pineapple, surrounded by glowing red pomegranates, rounded pears, citrus slices, and vibrant green leaves. These fruit forms are arranged on and around a series of stacked shelves or box-like compartments, giving the composition a dynamic architectural framework.
Nicod’s expressive layering of blues, teals, and indigos creates a cool, atmospheric backdrop that beautifully offsets the saturated oranges, reds, and greens of the fruit. The interplay between warm and cool tones adds depth and dimension, making the still life feel lively and sculptural. The upper compartment features angular yellow-orange shapes, possibly folded papers or fabric, which introduce additional texture and energy.
Throughout the composition, Nicod’s brushwork is confident and gestural, blending abstraction with recognisable natural forms. The fruit remains central, yet the surrounding planes of colour — from plum purples to electric blues — highlight the artist’s fascination with modernist colour harmonies and expressive interior spaces.
This painting will particularly appeal to collectors of fruit still lifes, French modernism, abstract interiors, and bold mid-century colourist compositions. Both playful and sophisticated, the work transforms a traditional still life subject into a contemporary, rhythmic arrangement full of movement and vibrancy. Unframed and ready for bespoke presentation, it is a powerful example of Nicod’s imaginative and energetic approach to everyday subjects.