Henri Le Sidaner

Georges Bergaud
Henri Gougerot, Paris
Galerie Fricker, Crespières
Gemälde-Galerie Abels, Cologne
Charles Z. Offin, New York 
Gifted from the above in 1990

Paris, Musée Galliera, Retrospective Le Sidaner, 1948, no. 8
Cologne, Gemälde-Galerie Abels, Peintres français modernes, 1955

Camille Mauclair, Henri Le Sidaner, Paris, 1928, illustrated p. 199
Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Le Sidaner, l'oeuvre peint et gravé, Paris, 1989, no. 668, illustrated p. 248

This work is in more or less perfect and untouched condition, having never been removed from its original stretcher. The canvas is well stretched, and the paint layer is stable. The work is clean and very lightly varnished. There are no retouches to the work and the palette of the panting is as it was when it was painted. The work should be hung as is. 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.

From the moment he first arrived in 1910, Henri Le Sidaner was captivated by the inherent beauty of Villefranche-sur-Mer in the South of France. In the 1920s he made annual visits, staying at the amiably named Hotel Welcome in the heart of the Old Port. Throughout his sojourns there, he set down on canvas an exquisite series of images recording the still calm and loveliness of the quiet, coastal town that so bewitched him. The present work is one exceptional example from this series. It depicts the view from Le Sidaner’s hotel room where large and inviting French windows open onto a balcony overlooking the bay. A modestly arranged table set for one in the foreground of the painting, softly illuminated by an unseen interior light, hints at the pleasures of a simple life.

This work is particularly lovely for its atmospheric quality, a characteristic it shares with the best of Le Sidaner’s paintings. Paul Signac commented of Henri Le Sidaner, "his entire work is influenced by a taste for tender, soft and silent atmospheres. Gradually, he even went so far as to eliminate from his paintings all human figures, as if he feared that the slightest human form might disturb their muffled silence” (quoted in Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, op. cit., p. 31). The subtle play of light in this work from the interior to the bay outside evokes the gentle lull of twilight while the remarkable spatial depth achieved enhances the sense of welcome calm and isolation. Here, Le Sidaner’s mastery of mood has created a tender ode to a life of tranquillity, where contentedness is derived from the peace that emanates from nature’s own charms.