Raoul Dufy

E. J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam

Mr. And Mrs. M.R. Chipman, Montreal and London (acquired from the above on April 17, 1956)

Estate of Margo I. Reeves (by descent from the above and sold: Phillip's, New York, May 7, 2001, lot 26)

Acquired at the above sale

Pierre Courthion, Raoul Dufy, Geneva, 1951, no. 59, illustrated pl. 59

Maurice Laffaille, Raoul Dufy, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint de 1895 à 1915, vol. I, Geneva, 1972, no. 160, illustrated p. 142

In good condition. Original canvas. Under ultra-violet light, there are areas of feathery inpainting, especially at the top left and right corners and the bottom left corner. Otherwise, there are 3 small lines of inpainting to the right of the fishing rod on the right and a few spots in the lower left quadrant.
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.

Les Pêcheurs depicts a scene along the Channel coast at Sainte-Adresse where Dufy worked during the summer of 1907. Its brilliant color and immediate application of paint portrays Dufy's embrace of Fauvism. A dramatic shift in his work had been prompted two years earlier by a visit to the 1905 Salon d'Automne. There the vibrantly colored canvases of Henri Matisse, André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck and others, who would be labeled Les Fauves or "wild beasts", encouraged his move away from illusionistic description and traditional pictorial devices towards the application paint in broad areas and bold design. Particularly struck by Matisse's Luxe, calme et volupté (1904-05) in the exhibition, Dufy noted that "At the sight of this picture I understood all the new reasons for painting, and Impressionist realism lost its charm for me as I contemplated the miracle of the imagination introduced into design and color. I immediately understood the new pictorial mechanics."

Indeed, while Dufy's earlier views of Sainte-Adresse recall precedents set by Eugène Boudin and Claude Monet, here extraneous details are suppressed in favor of clear zones represented by the boardwalk, sea and sky, and articulated by notational figures, fishing rods and boats. As John Elderfield has noted, "When Dufy looked to the ocean for his subjects his special floating colorism was further developed in the isolated arcs, curves, and even circles he began to use" (John Elderfield, The "Wild Beasts": Fauvism and Its Affinities, New York, 1976, p. 78).