Chaïm Soutine

William March Campbell, Alabama (acquired by 1952)
Perls Galleries, New York (acquired in 1954)
Eric Estorick, London
Jean-Claude Abreu, Cuba
Perls Galleries, New York (acquired by 1962)
Dr & Mrs Paul Tood Makler, Philadelphia (acquired in 1967)
Perls Galleries, New York (acquired by 1973)
Simon Capstick Dale Fine Art, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1999

Florida, Palm Beach, Society of the Four Arts, 1952, no. 23
New York, Perls Galleries, 1953, no. 10
New York, Perls Galleries, The William March Collection of Modern French Masterpieces, 1954, no. 19
New York, Perls Galleries, The Perls Galleries Collection of Modern French Paintings, catalogue no. 11, 1955, no. 216
New York, Perls Galleries, The Perls Galleries Collection of Modern French Painting, catalogue no. 12, 1956, no. 225
New York, Perls Galleries, Twenty One Major Acquisitions, 1962, no. 15, illustrated in the catalogue
Los Angeles, County Museum of Art, Chaim Soutine 1893-1943, 1968, no. 3, illustrated in the catalogue
Munster, Westfälisches Landesmuseum, Chaim Soutine, 1981-1982, no. 6, illustrated in the catalogue
Céret, Musée d'Art Moderne de Céret, Soutine, Céret 1912-1922, 2000, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Paris, Pinacothèque de Paris, Soutine, 2007-2008, no. 9, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Ernst-Gerhard Güse (ed.), C. Soutine 1893-1943, Stuttgart, 1981, no. 6, illustrated p. 149
Maurice Tuchman, Esti Dunow & Klaus Perls, Chaim Soutine, Catalogue raisonné, Cologne, 1993, vol. I, no. 19, illustrated in colour p. 369

The canvas is not lined. There are two spots of retouching to the top left corner of 2cm. sq. and 1cm. sq. and a line of retouching running down the lower right edge and towards the bottom right corner, all visible under ultra-violet light. Apart from some very slight craquelure to the areas of thick pigment, 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

At the outbreak of World War I Chaim Soutine moved to the artists’ studio complex at Cité Falguière in Paris, and whilst living in desperate poverty he soon befriended many of the leading artists of the time. In 1918 Soutine travelled to Nice with an entourage including Zborowski, Foujita and Modigliani to escape the German bombing. Following the war Soutine lived in Céret on the Spanish border and during this period he turned to the subject of still life.

In the present work, an expressive and agitated brushstroke creates an impressive sense of vitality. 'He would want to find a style in which they [Soutine's talents] would not be wasted but could be paraded in all their glory, and obviously the best opening would be a  traditional sort of style, sonorous in colour, rich in impasto, and – this above all, perhaps, for a child of orthodox Jewry – providing the opportunity to show off his skill in producing recognizable representations.' (D. Sylvester, 'The Mysteries of Nature within the Mysteries of Paint,' in Chaim Soutine, Arts Council of Great Britain, 1981, pp. 43-44).