Raoul Dufy

Dr. Roudinesco, New York (acquired from the artist and sold: Parke Bernet, New York, October 10, 1968, lot 64)
Ian Woodner (acquired at the above sale)
Dian & Andrea Woodner (by descent from the above and sold: Christie's, New York, May 13, 1993, lot 200)

Maurice Laffaille, Raoul Dufy. Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, vol. III, Geneva, 1976, no. 1367, illustrated p. 364 & in color p. 365

Work is in very good condition. Original canvas. Slight stable cracking (primarily in background). Canvas slightly buckling at lower left. Faint stretcher bar marks are visible across center. Under UV light: 10 to 15 scattered dots of inpainting throughout background. There is a 1 1/2 inch line of inpainting to the left of the top of the figure's head and a 10 by 2 inch area of inpainting at the extreme lower left edge of the canvas. Otherwise fine.
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.

Raoul Dufy met his great patron Dr. Roudinesco in June 1922.  The artist had been for some years a well established artist and a successful man about town in Paris, dividing his time between Paris and Southern France.  He painted this portrait of Dr. Roudinesco's wife in 1934, many years into their close relationship, and the warmth that the artist felt for his subject is evident in this elegant, yet intimate portrayal.

The artist's pivotal Fauve period is echoed in certain elements of the present work.  In four 1908 portraits of the artist's wife, each titled La Dame en rose (and two in French museum collections), the artist adjusted his earlier compositions to exaggerate the tension in the figure's elongated, clasped fingers, evoking for the viewer the Mannerist works of 16th Century Italian masters.  While a successful traditional society portrait of one of the artist's most loyal patrons, Mme. Roudinesco's dramatically clasped hands (as well as the vibrant blue of the backdrop and her flowing kimono) call to mind Dufy's preoccupations of the Fauve period, in subject matter and  in his use of brilliant, saturated color.