Robert Delaunay

Galerie Louis Carré, Paris (acquired directly from the artist)
Ira Haupt, New York (and sold: Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, January 13, 1965, lot 26)
T. Leventritt, New York (acquired at the above sale)
William Segsworth, New York (acquired from the above in 1979)
Stephen Mazoh & Co., Inc, New York
Acquired from the above in February 1982 and thence by descent

Paris, Galerie de France, Le Cubisme, 1911-18, 1945, no. 12
Bern, Kunsthalle, Robert Delaunay, 1951, no. 38
New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Robert Delaunay, 1954-55, n.n.
New York, Fine Arts Associates Gallery, Robert Delaunay, 1959, no. 6

Guy Habasque, Du Cubisme à l'art abstrait, supplément, Paris, 1957, no. 183, illustrated p. 280

Canvas is wax lined. There is stable craquelure visible in the upper right quadrant in the thickest pigments. There are scattered pindot nicks to the surface and the surface appears slightly dirty overall. Under UV, there are numerous areas of scattered retouching throughout, especially along the left edge and at the upper right corner. These areas of restoration are visible under normal light as they appear as white spots, having discolored differently over time.
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.

After initially training as a theatre designer, Robert Delaunay taught himself to paint after discovering the work of Paul Cézanne, which led him from Neo-Impressionism to Cubism. While greatly respected by fellow artists, during his lifetime Delaunay did not attain the celebrity status of his peers such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. The situation improved with a pivotal exhibition of Robert’s early work at the Centre Pompidou in 1999 and now the impact of his contribution to the development of abstraction is finally widely acknowledged and they are justly lauded as pioneering precursors of today’s Kinetic Art and Op Art.

In 1915, Robert Delaunay and his wife Sonia Delaunay moved to Portugal. Robert had a medical condition which prevented him from active duty; this also suited  his (and his wife’s) commitment to pacifism.  Removed from the chaos of the First World War, the Delaunays were fascinated by the warm, clear light of Northern Portugal, which they captured in their respective paintings during this period.  He was inspired by the simple life in his new surroundings, which he described as "violent contrasts of colored marks, women's clothing, striking shawls of delicious, metallic greens, watermelons. Forms and colors: women disappearing in mountains of pumpkins, vegetables, enchanting markets" (quoted by Pierre Francastel in Robert Delaunay, Du cubisme à l'art abstrait, Paris, 1957, p. 127).

The Portugaise works were of great importance in that they serve to underline Delaunay's development towards an art in which color and design are on equal footing in the conception of the work as a whole, anticipating his later and purely abstract Rythmes series. Nature morte portugaise is a vivacious and highly original combination of figurative and abstract elements. The motifs of the sliced melon and traditional tablecloth reoccur in various Portugaise still lifes Delaunay created during this period.