André Lhote

Private Collection, France
Acquired from the above by the present owner.

Madrid, Fundación Mapfre & Bordeaux, Musée des Beaux-Arts, André Lhote, 2007, n.n.
Monpellier, Musée Fabre, Rugbysme. Le Rugby et l'Art Moderne. André Lhote, Robert Delaunay et Hora Damien, 2007, n.n.
Malaga, Sale de Exposiciones del Archivo Municipal, Futurismo y Cuenta Nueva, 2009, n.n.

The canvas is not lined. There is some minor frame abrasion to the extreme edges. Close examination reveals some stable hairline craquelure in the shoulder of upper left figure, the white shoulder of the central figure and the yellow shirt of the figure to his left. One small spot of retouching in the upper right corner fluoresces under UV light.; otherwise this work is in very good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In 1917 André Lhote began a series of works dedicated to the theme of rugby, a sport recently imported into France. Rugby had first appeared in the country around 1880, principally amongst the aristocracy and bourgeoisie and was by 1917 starting to become more widely popular. Like many painters of the Section d’Or, such as Delaunay, Gleizes and Léger, Lhote aspired to represent modern life in all its most vibrant, contemporary aspects. Like aviation, mechanics, the Eiffel Tower or electricity, sport, particularly rugby, came to incarnate the modernity so lauded by artists. The art critic René Chavance underlined Cubist artists’ interest in the sport in these terms: “Sculptors and painters must have found in stadiums an opportunity to observe muscles, harmony of movement, rhythmic attitude. Who knows whether it was even a source of inspiration for those who wished to confer importance on a neglected subject and modernise it?” (in "L’Art et les sports", La Liberté, 4 juillet 1924).

The theme of rugby players would thus give rise to some of the most accomplished works by Robert Delaunay, who would explore the theme several times between 1912 and 1921 (notably in Les Joueurs de Cardiff, conserved in the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris). As for Lhote, he depicted the subject from 1917 to 1937, leading to his greatest masterpieces such as Rugby, 1917 (Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou) and Les Joueurs de rugby. The painter described his fascination for the subject thus: “It is exciting to capture a moving spectacle where everything seems to stand still for a second before starting up again at an even faster rate, like a pendulum at the end of its trajectory” (in Anatole Jakovsky, André Lhote, 48 reproductions commentées par le peintre, Paris, 1947, p. 251). In the paintings from this series, Lhote strives to give form to what he called the “lightning bolt”, the impression perceived by the spectator’s vision when faced with movement.

The present work is a remarkable example of this approach. Renouncing with analytical Cubism, in Les Joueurs de rugby Lhote adopts a visual vocabulary in which the subject becomes easily identifiable and is painted in attractive colours. The painter concentrates on the climactic moment of the match, when the players passionately fight for the ball. Perfectly capturing the ascending movement of the figures and the tension of the moment, he creates here a composition of unprecedented dynamism, laying the foundations for a modern aesthetic.