Kees van Dongen

Mrs. Jean McKelvie Sclater-Booth (commissioned from the artist)

Knoedler Gallery, New York

Sale: Christie's, New York, May 17, 1977, lot 97

Private Collection, United States

Gasiunasen Gallery, Palm Beach

Acquired from the above in 2003

Kansas City, William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, 1954 (on loan)

Cambridge, Busch-Reisinger Museum, Havard University Art Galleries, 1966 (on loan)

Palm Springs, Desert Art Museum (on loan)

Roslyn Harbor, Nassau County Museum of Art, European Art between the World Wars, 2004 (titled La Fifille et sa mère)

Roslyn Harbor, Nassau County Museum of Art, Art & Fashion, 2006 (titled La Fifille et sa mère)

Very good condition. Original canvas. There is one reinforcement on the reverse which attends to a vertical break in the canvas, running approximately 3 1/2 inches in the chiffon dress to the right of the legs. Under UV, this seems to be an isolated restoration and there appear to be no other structural damages or retouches. There is a mild scrape from the reverse making a thin ridge in the background in the upper right. The paint layer generally is very robust and healthy; the impasto on the bracelets, for instance, is in beautiful 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.

Van Dongen's fashionable portraits of society doyennes synthesize all that was chic and desirable during the 1920s.  To have a portrait painted by van Dongen was a coveted status symbol for the most fashionable women of the era known as the années folles, and this image of the svelte Mrs. Jean McKelvie Sclater-Booth exemplifes what all the fuss was about.  Here the sitter is depicted at her glamorous best -- bejewelled, wearing the latest gown straight from the showroom of one of Paris's couturiers and sporting a sophisticated 'page boy' hair cut -- and signifying all that was in vogue for the Modern Woman.  

Known as the principal portraitist among the Fauve artists, Van Dongen executed paintings inspired by his visits to the cabarets and cafés where dancers performed in exotic costumes. In 1917, the artist began a relationship with Léa Jacob, also known as Jasmy, who helped launch his career in Parisian fashion circles.  In 1922 the couple moved to a new residence at 5 rue Juliette Lamber, the address referred to on the reverse of the present work.  Here Van Dongen held exhibitions and Jasmy hosted extravagant parties attended by influential members of society.  Writing about this period of Van Dongen's career, Denys Sutton commented:  "During the 1920s, Van Dongen became one of the most talked of figures in the French art world and it is only necessary to run through the volume of press cuttings belonging to [his daughter] to be aware of the fact that his name was news.  He was a frequent visitor to Deauville, where the smart world gathered, and to the cabarets and restaurants of Paris.  What appealed to him about the années folles were their movement and gaiety.  He once said: 'I passionately love the life of my time so animated, so feverish! Ah!  Life is even more beautiful than painting'" (Denys Sutton in Cornelius Theodorus Marie Van Dongen (exhibition catalogue), Tucson, 1971, p. 46).