Pierre Bonnard

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired from the artist in November 1937)

Henri Sorreson & Sejersted Bödtker, Oslo (acquired from the above)

Ragnar Moltzau, Oslo

Marlborough Fine Art Ltd., London

Illa Kodicek, London (acquired from the above in 1961. Sold: Christie's, London, The Kodicek Collection of Modern Pictures, 23rd June 1993, lot 304)

Purchased at the above sale by the family of the present owner

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Pierre Bonnard, 1933, no. 5 (titled Cabanons)

Oslo, Kunstnerns Hus, Pierre Bonnard, 1939, no. 67

Oslo, Kunstnerns Hus, Art Français, 1946, no. 36

London, Hayward Gallery & Newcastle, Laing Art Gallery, Bonnard at Le Bosquet, 1994, no. 21, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Martigny, Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Bonnard, 1999, no. 54, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (with incorrect measurements)

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Paris, 1973, vol. III, no. 1506, illustrated p. 399 (with incorrect measurements)

The canvas is unlined. There are a few small and minor spots of retouching, mainly towards to the framing edges, visible under ultra-violet light. Apart from some slight stable craquelure particularly in the blue pigment, and a faint vertical stretcher mark, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although stronger and brighter in the original.
"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."

The present work depicts a view near Bonnard’s house Le Bosquet at Le Cannet, and is a wonderful example of the rich nature and captivating light of the south of France that provided an important source of inspiration for the artist. Situated above Cannes on the Côte d’Azur, Le Bosquet was surrounded by lush vegetation that could be seen from the house. Both the villa and the town itself offered the artist a wide array of subjects to paint, resulting in powerful, boldly coloured compositions. As Jörg Zutter wrote: ‘By 1931 Le Bosquet was Bonnard’s favourite place to work and in 1939 it became the couple’s permanent home. The house and its surroundings provided an ideal work environment for the artist, who continued to paint studies of Marthe, often standing in the bathroom or lying in the tub. He also painted still lifes, self-portraits, interiors and the views onto the countryside from different windows and doors’ (J. Zutter in Pierre Bonnard: Observing Nature (exhibition catalogue), National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 2003, p. 61).

Belinda Thomson wrote about the present work: ‘The freedom of handling and colourful overall design of this painting at first obscure its very precise notation of the working landscape above Villa du Bosquet. Each of the sheds Bonnard features no doubt belonged to a peasant farmer, one of whom is seen tending his vines in the foreground. The rough stone wall shoring up the bank in the left foreground is probably a section of terracing, the traditional method by which the hilly terrain of the Mediterranean was cultivated’ (B. Thomson in Bonnard at Le Bosquet (exhibition catalogue), op. cit., p. 64).

For over three decades, Cabanons au Cannet formed part of the collection of Illa Kodicek (1899-1990), adorning her house in Walton-on-Thames and a small apartment in London’s Mayfair. Born in Budapest, Kovacek later moved to Prague with her first husband, a Viennese businessman. During her second marriage to the Czech writer and theatre critic Josef Kodicek, she ran a salon attended by distinguished artists and writers. Having fled Prague in 1938, the Kodiceks settled in London, where Illa ran a successful corsetry shop, and in the 1950s and early 1960s regularly visited a number of now-legendary galleries, acquiring works and establishing herself as a well known figure in London's artistic circles. Her collection, including the present painting alongside works by Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Picabia, Klein and Bacon, as well as Oriental art, tribal art and antiquities, was sold in a series of auctions in 1993.