Emile Othon Friesz

Private Collection, Oslo (acquired circa 1920-30 and sold: Blomqvist, Oslo, May 15, 2007, lot 30)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Work is in very good condition. Canvas is not lined. Surface is especially bright and lively. Under UV light: scattered pindots of inpainting in sky at center of composition. A few additional tiny pindots below center of lower left quadrant and in lower right quadrant. One small stroke to right of signature, 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.

The Havrais painter Friesz was one of the last artists to join the Fauve movement.  In 1905 he was still painting in an essentially Impressionist manner and it was only in Antwerp in 1906 with Braque that he really began to develop as a Fauve painter.  John Elderfield states, "In 1906, Braque and Friesz were not even at the stage of colorful subjects... It was only when the pair traveled south, as their colleagues had done before, that their color was fully liberated from the atmospheric and the impressionist and their Fauve styles were fully established" (John Elderfield, Fauvism and its Affinities, New York, 1976, p. 79). 

Fig 1 Georges Braque, La Ciotat, 1906-7, Oil on canvas, The Art Institute of Chicago