Pierre Bonnard

Sam Salz, New York (acquired directly from the artist's family)
Maurice Newton, New York (and sold: Sotheby Parke-Bernet, Inc., New York, May 3, 1973, lot 69)
Hammer Galleries, New York (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above in May 1987

Geneva, Musée Rath, Pierre Bonnard, 1981, no. 20, illustrated in color in the catalogue
New York, Hammer Galleries, French Fontenay Aux-Roses, 1867-1947, 1983, n.n.

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l’oeuvre peint, 1940-1947, vol. IV, Paris, 1974, no. 01879, illustrated p. 241

The panel is sound. There is a layer of varnish to the surface. Under UV light: no inpainting is apparent. This work is in excellent 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.

At the turn of the century, Bonnard was already considered one of the most successful painters of his generation, stemming from the popularity of his intimate depictions of domestic interiors. He became more attentive to issues such as color, space and light, as well as the anatomy and gesture of his models. His ability to capture the experience of a fleeting glimpse in an unconventional manner set him apart from his contemporaries.

Painted circa 1905, Portrait de jeune fille is a charming composition that explores two of Bonnard's main themes, the intimate moments of everyday life and portraiture. The present work shares a brilliant quality of light found in his most striking depictions of interior scenes. As John Rewald writes, "With the exception of Vuillard, no 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. His paintings are covered with color applied with a delicate voluptuousness that confers to the pigment a life of its own and treats every single stroke like a clear note of a symphony. At the same time Bonnard's colors changed from opaque to transparent and brilliant, and his perceptiveness seemed to grow as his brush found ever more expert and more subtle means to capture the richness both of his imagination and of nature" (quoted in Pierre Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1948, p. 48). There is a sense of immediacy in the young girl’s pose, as if she were daydreaming and not posing for a portrait, a depiction that comes across more a universalized vision of youth than a specific portrait.