Henri Matisse

Galerie Samlaren, Agnes Widlund, Stockholm (acquired in 1953)
Theodor Ahrenberg, Stockholm (sold: Sotheby's, London, July 7, 1960, lot 2)
Charles E. Slatkin Galleries, New York (acquired at the above sale)
Regina Slatkin, New York (acquired in 1984)
Acquired by the present owner in 1997

London, Tate Gallery, The Sculpture of Henri Matisse and Three Paintings with Drawings, January-February 1953, no. 2
Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, Henri Matisse, Apollon, Utställning anordnad i samarbete med Medicinska Föreningen, September, 1957, no. 7
Helsinki, Helsingen Taidehalli, Henri Matisse, Apollon, Theodor Ahrenbergin Kokoelema, December, 1957-January 1958, no. 152
Liège, Musée des Beaux Arts de Liège, Henri Matisse, Apollon, Collection Theodor Ahrenberg, May-July 1958, no. 132
Kunsthaus Zurich, Henri Matisse, Des Plastiche Werk, July-August 1959, no. 3, illustrated
Gothenburg, Könsthallen, Götaplatsen, Henri Matisse, Ur Theodor Ahrenbergs Samling, March-April 1960, no. 160

Albert E. Elsen, The Sculpture of Henri Matisse, New York, 1972, illustration of another cast, p. 109
Pierre Schneider, Matisse, New York, 1984, illustration of another cast, p. 283
François Garnaud, Henri Matisse, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre sculpte, Paris, 1994, no. 43, illustrations of another cast, pp. 94-95
Claude Duthuit, Henri Matisse, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre sculpté, Paris, 1997, no. 43, illustrations of another cast, pp. 119-121

Very good condition. Work has a rich and varied patina. Some surface dirt in deeper crevices. Some minor corrosion in deeper crevices towards bottom of base and in a few areas where foot meets the base. Otherwise fine.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Matisse turned to sculpture in the late 1890s when he realized that in order to progress as an artist he needed to understand the intricacies of sculpture. His education was to follow traditional lines, based around making art in the studio and imitating works in the Louvre. Much of the flexibility of style in his later work, both in drawing and in sculpture, was based upon a solid academic training.

Matisse's love of ancient sculpture and his academic training lay behind his decision to create this study of a foot in 1909. It is unique within Matisse's oeuvre as this sculpture directly relates to his famous series of paintings, Danse. Following the precepts of his academic training, Matisse used this study as a means of capturing the stresses and strains of the raised dancer's foot in three dimensional form. Etude de pied relates directly to the right foot of the leftmost figure in Danse II from 1909-10 (see figure). This sculpture is therefore a fascinating example of the intersection of tradition and modernity that lay behind the inception of an iconic masterpiece of the 20th Century.

Matisse believed that the sculptor should express his emotions through the modeling of his work, and the rough surface of Etude de pied is an excellent example of this process. This innovation was driven as much by antiquity as modernity; as the artist commented to a reporter at the New York Times in 1913, "The very early Greeks and the Primitives only worked from the basis of emotions, but this grew cold and disappeared in the following centuries. It makes no difference what are the proportions, if there is feeling... Above all the great thing is to express one's self" (quoted in Albert E. Elsen, op. cit., p. 45).

Between 1936 and 1958, the Valsuani foundry cast Etude de pied in an edition of 11, numbered 0-11. Other casts from this edition can be found in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Musée Matisse in Nice and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Grenoble.