Auguste Herbin

Galerie L'Effort Moderne (Léonce Rosenberg), Paris
Galerie Michel Haas, Berlin
Sale: Francis Briest, Drouot-Montaigne, Paris, June 15, 1991, lot 27
Acquired at the above sale

Connaissance des Arts, "Parade 1925", May 1959, pp. 106-15, illustrated p. 111
Geneviève Claisse, Herbin Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 1993, no. 359, illustrated p. 343

The work is in very good condition overall. The canvas has not been lined. The surface features a rich and varied surface with well-preserved impasto. Minor shrinkage is faintly perceptible in a couple places, including the right edge of the dark green below the left pot, the green the large leaf at center left and toward the bottom of the pink swath at center. Under UV light: very fine lines of inpainting are limited to the pink swath at center, where shrinkage has been professionally addressed. One nailhead-sized spot is also visible within the brown at bottom left. 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.

It was in 1908, soon after moving into the Bateau-Lavoir and taking up the adjacent studio to that of Picasso, that Auguste Herbin first adopted the principles of Cubism. In contrast to the approach of Georges Braque or indeed that of Juan Gris, Herbin was quick to reject the dogma of achromia and its strict vocabulary, preferring instead to focus on the purification and simplification of volume, the pairing of geometric forms and vibrant colors. The innovative paintings executed by Herbin during the years that followed earned him the respect and recognition of the greatest collectors of the period, including Léonce Rosenberg, Wilhelm Uhde and even Alfred Flechtheim, who all purchased work directly from the artist’s studio.

Particularly characteristic of his compositions from this period, Nature morte au pots de fleursis testament to the artist’s mastery in the assembly of form and color, and with its succession of colored planes rhythmically punctuated with decorative elements it reveals an awareness of the research being conducted by artists such as Robert Delaunay and Fernand Léger. The vigor of the artist’s touch, the shimmer and sheer variety of the colors and the richness of the ornamental motifs elevate this bouquet of flowers to the ranks of the artist's most remarkable Cubist compositions; it is a veritable hymn to Herbin’s creativity and joy in painting.

This work is accompanied by Composition, a pencil drawing also by Auguste Herbin measuring 7 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches (18.6 by 14.1 cm). It shares the same provenance as the present work and is signed herbin at lower right.