Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired from the artist in September 1889)

Mr & Mrs H.O. Havemeyer, New York (acquired from the above in October 1889)

Durand-Ruel Gallery, New York (acquired from the above in December 1908)

Felix Isman, Philadelphia (acquired from the above in December 1908. Sold: American Art Association, New York, The Important Modern Paintings to be Sold by Order of Mr Felix Isman of Philadelphia, 3rd February 1911, lot 1)

Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris (purchased at the above sale)

Mrs Nelson Robinson, U.S.A. (acquired from the above in August 1911)

Miss G. Louise Robinson, U.S.A. (by descent from the above circa 1941)

Sam Salz, New York

Acquired by the father of the present owners by 1963

New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, French Painting From David to Toulouse Lautrec, 1941, no. 104

Frances Weitzenhoffer, The Havemeyers: Impressionism Comes to America, New York, 1986, illustrated pl. 19

Splendid Legacy: The Havemeyer Collection (exhibition catalogue), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1993, no. 461, illustrated p. 375

Executed on buff laid paper, strip lined at the edges and laid down on a panel of conservation board. There are three supported horizontal hairline cracks at the top of the sheet, with some associated retouching, which are supported by Japan paper, all of which are entirely stable. Apart from a cross shaped mark scored on the shoulder of the figure, this work is in good, stable condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration.
"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."

Among the finest and most fully realised of Renoir’s pastels, Jeune femme lisant perfectly captures the grace of his young subject, affirming his position as the Impressionist master of the female figure. Renoir’s portraits of women were acknowledged by his contemporaries from the outset, as Théodore Duret wrote in the introduction to his 1883 exhibition: ‘[In Renoir] we recognise at first sight the ability to paint woman in all her grace and delicacy, which has led him to excel particularly in portraits. The artist has fully displayed this gift of charm from the beginning, and it is in his ability as a painter and colourist that we must observe his progress and development’ (T. Duret in Barbara E. White, Renoir. His Life, Art, and Letters, New York, 1984, p. 132).

From the luminous translucence of the girl’s skin to the glowing russet tones of her skirt and chair, Renoir’s masterful skill as a colourist is fully realised in the present work. His contemporary Paul Gauguin recalled: ‘In Renoir, nothing is in place: do not look for line, it does not exist; as if by magic, a pretty patch of colour, a caressing light say all that is needed. On the cheeks as on a peach, a light bloom ripples, stirred by the breeze of love that whispers its music in the ear’ (P. Gauguin quoted in Renoir in the 20th Century (exhibition catalogue), Galeries Nationales, Paris, 2009-10, p. 85), and it was this ability to imbue his subjects with a light and liveliness that made Renoir so sought after as a portraitist.

Portraiture was a central concern in the first few decades of Renoir’s career, providing him with the financial means to allow him to pursue painting. As well as the numerous portraits of women and children that he produced as part of paid commissions, in the 1870s Renoir also painted numerous portraits of unidentified women – often fashionable young women at leisure. Jeune femme lisant, painted in 1889, dispenses with the posed formality of many of his official portraits. The girl is captured in profile with her face turned away from us, yet unlike his portraits of young women about town, she retains an air of innocence which is closer in effect to his depictions of young children. The combination of gentle tones and soft pastel combine to capture a fleeting moment – an intimate portrait of a young girl on the cusp of adulthood.

As with many of his contemporaries, and most notably Degas (fig. 2), Renoir worked in pastel throughout his life and although it was not his principle medium its powdery effervescence was well-suited to his singular style. Pastel allowed him to reconcile the fresh spontaneity afforded by drawing, with the colour that was so fundamental to his aesthetic. François Daulte suggests: ‘If he frequently used that medium to depict those near and dear to him, it was because pastel, which combines colour with line, gave him the possibility of working rapidly to capture in all their vividness the rapid flash of intelligence and the fleeting show of emotion’ (F. Daulte, Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Water-colours, pastels, and drawings in colour, London, 1959, p. 10). In the present work Renoir’s choice of medium imbues the painting with spontaneous intimacy but at the same time, the light hues of the pastel intensify the mood of rapt concentration that permeates the composition.

Jeune femme lisant was purchased from Galerie Durand-Ruel in 1889 by the esteemed collectors Mr and Mrs Henry O. Havemeyer. The Havemeyers had begun to collect Impressionist works in the 1870s, inspired by Louisine Havemeyer’s relationship with artist Mary Cassatt, and they would go on to build one of the first great collections of Impressionist art in America. In 1915, a few years after the death of Henry Havemeyer, their collection was characterised by fellow collector Albert C. Barnes: ‘Havemeyer’s is the best and wisest collection in America. There are less old masters there than in the others, but that is more than compensated for by the large number of paintings by the men that make up the greatest movement in the entire history of art – the Frenchmen of about 1860 and later, whose work is so richly expressive of life’ (A. C. Barnes, quoted in Splendid Legacy: The Havemeyer Collection (exhibition catalogue), op. cit., p. 52). A large part of their remarkable collection is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art following a bequest from the family.