Pierre Bonnard

Wildenstein & Co., London
Sale: Christie's, New York, May 11, 1989, lot 261
Ruth Pruitt Philips (acquired at the above sale and sold by the estate: Sotheby's, New York, November 8, 2006, lot 226)
Acquired at the above sale

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, vol. I, Paris, 1974, no. 81, illustrated p. 142

The card is stable and there are no signs of retouching visible under ultra-violet light. There is a slight crease to the bottom left corner. Apart from a scratch to the upper center visible in the catalogue illustration, and a few lines of frame rubbing, 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.

Bonnard studied painting at the Académie Julian in Paris while still completing his law studies at University. At the académie he met Paul Sérusier, Maurice Dénis and Paul-Elie Ranson, artist who later became central figures in the Nabis movement alongside their master, Gauguin. The Nabis movement was characterized by its strong interest in painting en plein air and for its intimate qualities, combined with a stylistic tendencies with its sure, quick-patterned brushstrokes of yellow and green, creating the vegetation and light in the foreground. In the words of John Rewald, "no other painter of his generation was to endow his technique with so much sensual delight, so much feeling for the indefinable texture of paint, so much vibration" (John Renwald, Pierre Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), New York, 1965, n.p.).

Le Toit rouge was probably painted close to Côte Saint-André in the province of Dauphine, where the Bonnard family had its family estate "Le grand-Lemps," an area that afforded beautiful landscapes and light which had been a favorite spot for artists throughout the nineteenth century.