Auguste Herbin

Edmond Rosenberg (Galerie de l'Effort Moderne), Paris
Sale: Piasa, Paris, December 12, 1997, lot 15
Acquired at the above sale

Bulletin de l'Effort Moderne, Paris, October 1924, no. 8
Bulletin de la Vie Artistique, Paris, November 1924, no. 21, p. 487,
Anatole Jakovski, Herbin, Paris, 1933, p. 33
Geneviève Claisse, Herbin, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 1993, no. 545, illustrated p. 375

Work is in very good condition. Canvas is not lined. Under UV light: retouches visible at extreme left, bottom and top of right edge. One nailhead size dot of retouching and one small hairline stroke near center of bottom edge, 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.

Les Cérises exemplifies a unique fusion of two genres in the history of art: landscape painting and still life. This amalgam is far from typical. Herbin incorporates colorful geometric shapes, such as bright red spherical cherries, along with slight nuances of abstraction, which give the painting an unparalleled vibrancy. In his treatment of the still life in the foreground, the artist has taken a fairly naturalistic approach.  He incorporates the influence of Cubism into the work by creating a planar background separated by bands of vivid greens and muted beiges, accented by the geometric cubes of the town.

Painted in 1924, Les Cérises was executed just two years before Herbin's return to abstraction. Herbin's earlier nonrepresentational works were too bold for the critics of the day, which compelled him to return briefly to a more figural and tangible style that is reflected in Les Cérises: "The incomprehension that greeted these [works], even from those critics most favourably disposed towards Cubism, was such that until 1926 or 1927 he followed [Léonce] Rosenberg's advice to return to a representational style. Herbin himself later disowned landscapes, still-lifes and genre scenes of this period...in which the objects were depicted as schematized volumes." (Vanina Costa, "Herbin, Auguste," Oxford Art Online)