Chaïm Soutine

Kurt Mettler, Saint-Gall, Switzerland
Galerie Bignou, Paris
Perls Galleries, New York
William March, Paris (acquired from the above by 1954)
Private collection (and sold: Galerie Charpentier, Paris, June 3-4, 1958)
Maurice Kotler, Paris
Private collection, by descent from the above (and sold: Christie's, London, June 24, 1997, lot 241, titled Homme assis)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owners

P. Courthion, Soutine, Peintre du déchirant, Lausanne, 1972, no. A, illustrated p. 233, dated 1923-24

This painting is in very good condition. The canvas has an old glue lining. The paint layer is stable. It may be slightly dirty, but one needs to be cautious when cleaning works by Soutine, as he does tone, glaze and use transparent colors in a way that could be considered untypical. There are no retouches, and there appear to be no damages. The frame is weak, but the painting itself could be hung in its current state. The above condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
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.

Chaïm Soutine painted Jeune homme obliquement étendu during his stay in Céret, a hamlet in Southern France near the Spanish border, where he lived between 1919 and 1922. In Céret, his early style reached its apogee, with highly charged compositions rendered in virtuoso brushwork.

Soutine's portraits are imbued with a strong physical presence and emphasize the individuality of his subjects. As the authors of the catalogue raisonné of Soutine's work have commented: "While his portraits do convey inner realities and make spiritual statements, they are primarily rooted in concrete perception. Though Soutine may project his inner turbulence and most personal feelings onto his subjects, the viewer never loses sight of a particular physical entity being carefully observed and experienced. Even the distortions and exaggerations of facial features and the shiftings and dislocations of body parts do not destroy the essential recognition in each painting of a certain person and a reality specific to him or her" (M. Tuchman, E. Dunow & K. Perls, Chaïm Soutine, catalogue raisonné, vol. II, Cologne, 1993, p. 509).

In Jeune homme obliquement étendu the sitter recalls the war-weary survivors of World War I, physically battered and emotionally traumatized by their experiences. The slash of red across his mouth suggests a wound,  which is echoed in the aggressively applied band of red on the wall behind him. Altogether, the effect presages Soutine’s studies of butchered animal carcasses which he would commence in the mid-1920s. 

The painting has an illustrious provenance, including Kurt Mettler, the Swiss art dealer and friend of Dr. Albert Barnes (who as early as 1923 would buy 60 paintings by Soutine). This painting was also owned by the foremost US art dealer of Soutine’s works, the legendary Klaus Perls.

“He paints with a gusto which is consistently extravagant” – Alfred Barr, 1930