Paul Gauguin

William Lund, Copenhagen (a gift of the artist)

Mme Sander, Copenhagen (acquired circa 1941 and until at least 1948)

Private Collection (sold: Sotheby's, London, May 6, 1959, lot 129)

Eric Estorick (acquired at the above sale)

J. Paul Getty, California (acquired from the above)

J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu (donated from the above in 1971 and sold: Sotheby's, London, November 28, 1989, lot 13)

Private Collection, France (by 1990)

Berlin, Galerien Thannhauser, circa 1927-32 (on loan at some point between these dates)

Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Gauguin, 1948, no. 24

(possibly) Artist's notebook, circa 1888-1890, titled Danois Paysage Rouen donné, reprinted in Huyghe 1952, p. 224

Denis Sutton, "Notes on P. Gauguin apropos a Recent Exhibition," The Burlington Magazine, London, March 1956, p. 86

Georges Wildenstein, Gauguin, Paris, 1964, no. 118, illustrated

J. P. Getty, The Joys of Collecting, New York, 1965, illustrated pp. 134-35

Daniel Wildenstein, Gauguin, Premier itinéraire d'un sauvage, Catalogue de l'oeuvre peint (1973-1888), vol. I, Paris, 2001, no. 123, illustrated in color p. 143

Original canvas. There is an uneven varnish throughout the composition. Under ultraviolet light, there are some spots of retouching, mainly in the upper left quadrant. Otherwise, this work is in 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.
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.

Gauguin's view of Rouen dates from the prime of the official Impressionist movement in the mid-1880s.   In the background we can see the unmistakable bend of Seine and, to the left of the river, the spire of Rouen cathedral, which was an important subject in the paintings of Monet and Pissarro.  True to his nature-loving inclinations, Gauguin chose instead to focus primarily on the surrounding pastures with their grazing dairy cows.   While the plein-air subject and brushwork in this picture is typical of the Impressionist style, Gauguin's palette of lime green, cobalt blue and orange points towards the colors that would dominate his pictures of Tahiti in the 1890s. 

The present oil bears a dedication to the artist's Dutch friend William Lund, whose pastel portrait by Gauguin will also be sold in Sotheby's Day Sale of Impressionist and Modern Art on May 6, 2010.  Lund was a Danish collector who kept in touch with Gauguin while the artist was working in Paris.   The artist's dedication to Lund on this picture, as well as his portrait of the collector, evidences Gauguin's reliance on patrons both in France and in his wife Mette's native land.