Henri Matisse

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune et Cie., Paris (acquired from the artist on June 23, 1919)

Georges Bernheim, Paris  (acquired from the above on November 6, 1920)

Léopold Zborowski, Paris (acquired from the above on April 6, 1922)

Galerie Thannhauser, Berlin (by 1930)

Justin K. Thannhauser, New York (by 1955)

Mr. & Mrs. Wilbur D. May, Reno, Nevada (acquired from the above by 1957)

The Saint Louis Art Museum (gift from the above on December 8, 1957 and sold: Christie's, New York, November 6, 2007, lot 90)

Acquired at the above sale

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune et Cie., Henri Matisse, 1920, no. 13 (titled Femme nue accoudée)

Berlin, Galerie Thannhauser, Henri Matisse, 1930, no. 42, catalogued p. 18, illustrated p. 13 (titled Weiblicher akt im sessel)

San Francisco Museum of Art, Art in the 20th Century, 1955 (titled Nude)

Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Matisse, vol. II, Paris, 1995, no. 326, illustrated p. 789

Very good condition. The work is lined. No evidence of retouching visible under UV light. The surface and pigments are stable.
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 painted this charming composition in 1919 at his studio in Nice. Many of Matisse's early Nice pictures are, as John Elderfield has described them, "harmonious, light-filled, and often profusely decorated interiors, with languorous and seductive models, that sacrificed the interest of the avant-garde, an interest he regained only slowly in later years.  Matisse rejoiced in the light of Nice; color was subordinated to it. Thus, the flat, arbitrary colors of his preceding paintings, both 'decorative' and 'experimental,' were replaced by a much broader range of soft tonalities that convey how reflected light will suffuse an interior, associating whoever or whatever is within it. Light is almost palpable in these paintings. Their sensuality and the quality of meditation they afford both depend on the gentle pulsation of light through them. Often, the pulsation of pattern will form an accompaniment" (John Elderfield, Henri Matisse, A Retrospective (exhibition catalogue), The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1992-93, p. 289).

The sitter in the present work is most likely the sister of Antoinette Arnoud, the woman who posed for Matisse during these years. The focus here is explicitly on the curve of the model's torso, particularly the thrust of her hip and the swell of her breasts.  The cushion of the chair recedes in shadow against the pressure of the model's elbow and buttocks, while its frame echoes the contours of her body.  Matisse's emphatic attention on his voluptuous model here can be likened to the nudes of Renoir, who was Matisse's neighbor in Cagnes-sur-Mer.  The two artists had formed a close association during the last 1910s, bonding over their shared interests and similar artistic practices.  Renoir encouraged Matisse to reject the trends taking hold in Paris and to stay true to his own artistic coarse, which was advice that would ultimately pay off.  In contrast to the linear Cubist compositions painted by his contemporaries during this period, Matisse's sensuous nudes and odalisques would become the hallmark of his art and some of the most celebrated examples of the 20th century avant-garde.