MAURICE DENIS | Jardin du couvent

Estate of the Artist
Dominique Denis, Paris (the artist's son, by descent from the above)
Claire Denis, Paris (the artist's granddaughter, by descent from the above by 1984)
Galerie Berès, Paris (acquired by 2001)
Private Collection (acquired from the above; sale: Christie's, New York, 13th November 2015, lot 1290)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

(Possibly) Paris, Le Barc de Boutteville, Peintres impressionnistes et symbolistes, 9e Exposition, 1895, no. 39 (titled Jardin du couvent sous la neige)
Rome, Académie de France, Villa Medici, Debussy e il simbolismo, 1984, no. 58
Marcq-en-Baroeul, Fondation Septentrion, Autour de Gauguin à Pont Aven, 1985, no. 22, illustrated in the catalogue
Ghent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten; Museum van Deinze en de Leiestreek & Deurle, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Une rare pléntitude, les artistes de Laethem-Saint-Martin 1900-1930, 2001, no. 73, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (titled Le Jardin du couvent sous la neige)

Michael Komanecky & Virginia Fabbri Butera, The Folding Image, Screens by Western Artists of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (exhibition catalogue), National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., 1984, illustrated p. 150

The board is stable. Inspection under UV light reveals no apparent signs of retouching. There is some minor abrasion and nicks to the edges of the board which are not visible when framed. There are a few small spots of paint loss in places, notably a crescent shaped loss at the upper edge (measuring 1.5cm in length) and to the column base of the statue. This work is in overall 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

‘Gauguin had said that ‘working from vision, we search for the mysterious centre of thought’. Art, wrote Denis, is ‘a creation of our spirit which nature provokes’. (Michael Ridgwell Austin, Explorations in Art, Theology and Imagination, London, 2016 p.111)



This works will be included in the forthcoming Maurice Denis Catalogue raisonné being prepared by Claire Denis and Fabienne Stahl.