Lot 438
  • 438

Henri Matisse

Estimate
70,000 - 90,000 USD
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Henri Matisse
  • Le Repos des modèles, fond ornemental et damier
  • Signed Henri Matisse (lower left)
  • Pen and ink on paper
  • 12 3/4 by 19 7/8 in.
  • 32.3 by 50.5 cm

Provenance

Jean Matisse (the artist's son)
Heinz Berggruen, Berlin (acquired by 1966)
Albert Loeb, New York (acquired by 1967)
Robert Elkon Gallery, New York (acquired in 1970)
William Vareika Fine Arts, Newport, Rhode Island (acquired from the above in 1999)
R.H. Love Galleries, Chicago
Acquired from the above

Exhibited

Berlin, Heinz Berggruen, Matisse Drawings, 1967
New York, Robert Elkon Gallery, Matisse and his Friends, 1970
London, Waddington Galleries (dates unknown)
New York, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery (dates unknown)

Condition

Executed on cream colored wove paper hinged to a mount at two places at top edge on verso. The edges are deckled. Artist pinholes at upper corners. A statement of authenticity is written on the verso of the sheet by Wanda de Guébriant. Edges of the sheet are slightly darker than the rest of the sheet - likely from a prior mat. A nick at right edge towards upper right corner, otherwise fine. 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.
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.

Catalogue Note

Matisse’s artistic output from 1928 marks this year as one of the most celebrated of his career. Le Repos des modelés, fond ornemental et damier, executed while the artist was living in Nice and during what is considered his most accomplished period as a draughtsman, combines the most important elements of his work at the time: the iconic Orientalist setting and a fascination with texture and patterns. In 1928 Matisse painted several compositions in which two models are shown seated or reclining around a checkerboard, and this particular composition closely relates to the painting Deux Odalisques in the Moderna Museet in Stockholm.