Bernard Boutet de Monvel

Peut-être, The International Exhibition of Paintings, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 17 octobre - 8 décembre 1935, n°192 titré Decorative Panel ;
Profiles, Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Knoedler Galleries, New York, 10 - 29 novembre 1947, n°42;
Exposition rétrospective Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Musée Galliera, Paris, 26 janvier - 5 mars 1951, p.14, n°58 ;
Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Rétrospective, Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, 27 avril-30 juin 2001

Stéphane-Jacques Addade, Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Paris, 2001, reproduit p. 279;
Stéphane-Jacques Addade, Bernard Boutet de Monvel, Paris, 2016, reproduit pp. 310-311

The painting would benefit from a light cleaning and the canvas, which is the original one, is a little bit loose and should be streched lightly. Extremely thin compass and ruler traces, characteristic of the artist's paintings, are visible on the surface. The matter is thinner in some areas, which is also characteristic of Bernard Boutet de Monvel's fashion. Under UV light, small varnish drips are slightly visible in some areas. No repaint is visible under UV light, though some areas fluoresce, probably due to a pigment used by the artist himself. The painting is in overall very good condition and is framed with a golden frame (5cm large).
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En 1929, Harrison Williams (1873-1953) et son épouse, née Mona Bush (1897-1983) – icône de la mode américaine et célèbre amateur d’art - se firent construire une vaste villa, Oak Point, située à Bayville, Long Island, par l’agence Delano & Aldrich, architectes incontournables de l’élite new-yorkaise. Pour le pavillon des bains, William A. Delano commande à Bernard Boutet de Monvel quatre panneaux décoratifs racontant la vie de Diane : La Chasse, La Curée, Le Repos et Le Bain où Diane, surprenant Actéon, le métamorphose en cerf pour le faire dévorer par ses chiens. Le projet, auquel Mona Williams ne donnera pour seule suite que la commande de son propre portrait, inspirera à Bernard Boutet de Monvel le tableau présenté ici, qu’il réalisera en 1935 d’après Le Bain.

Dans sa monographie de 2001, Stéphane-Jacques Addade décrit le tableau : "Le peintre [...] plaça au pied d'une végétation tropicale, monumentale et luxuriante, la minuscule frise sinusoïdale de figures dont la gestuelle, autant que la disposition de profil et en aplat n'étaient pas sans évoquer le dessin chorégraphique voulu par Vaslav Nijinski pour l'Après-midi d'un faune." (Stéphane-Jacques Addade, op. cit. pp. 274-275).

En 1955, Mona Williams, devenue comtesse von Bismarck par son quatrième mariage, s’installe à Paris dans un hôtel particulier, qui deviendra la Mona Bismarck Foundation. Deux études pour un portrait de la future comtesse Bismarck sont présentées dans la vente (voir le lot 242).

Mona and Harrison Williams ask William A. Delano to build their Oak Point villa in Bayville, Long Island, in 1926. The famous architect, from Delano & Aldrich, whose portrait was earlier executed by Bernard Boutet de Monvel, asks his friend to design four decorative panels for the villa's bathing pavillion in 1929: Boutet de Monvel thinks of themes such as The Hunt, The Quarry, The Rest, The Bath where Actaeon is discovered. The project is refused by Mrs Williams, but, circa 1935, the artist decides to execute the splendid work we are here presenting, inspired by The Bath. In 1955, Mona Williams married count von Bismarck. She remained famous for founding in Paris the Mona Bismarck Foundation. See lot 242 for two studies for a portrait of Mona Williams.