Stuart Davis

Esther Stuttman Gallery, New York
Gertrude Stein Gallery, New York, circa 1971
Acquired from the above by the present owner

A. Boyajian and M. Rutkoski, Stuart Davis: A Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. III, New Haven, Connecticut, 2007, no. 1357, p. 26, illustrated

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes, 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. This work has not been restored for many years, probably since the early 1970s when it was acquired by the present owner. Many early Davis paintings have suffered, mainly from a chaotic studio environment not uncommon for young artists. In this case, it seems that the painting has a glue lining from the 1970s and was probably heavily varnished and retouched at that time. Beneath the heavy varnish and dirt layer are restorations that are not visible under ultraviolet light. However, it can be seen with the naked eye that there is a horizontal disturbance beneath the chin of the sitter running towards the right edge and another running through the center of the torso. These areas may indicate that the canvas was removed from its stretcher and perhaps folded or improperly packed. There are other spots of retouching around the edges, but these are not significant. Some or all of these retouches or repainted areas could be Davis’ own. If and when the work is cleaned, the heavy varnish would be removed to reveal a considerably more textured and lively surface and a brighter and more colorful palette. However, there is a good chance that horizontal losses and damages across the center of the work and through the lower quarter of the work would also be revealed after any soluble retouches were removed. The signature and date are original. The condition and timeline and origin of the repainting or restoration can only be determined if the picture is properly tested.
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.

Stuart Davis studied with Robert Henri in New York from 1910 to 1913 and was a friend of John Sloan. His work from this time is similar to Sloan’s in its journalistic focus on the grittier aspects of city life as played out in its streets, restaurants, dance halls and alleyways. During 1912, the Association of American Painters and Sculptors, which included several members of The Eight, planned an ambitious, three-city exhibition of international modern art which would include five watercolors by Davis. On February 17, 1913, what is now known as The Armory Show would open with Davis’ works displayed in Gallery K.  In that same gallery hung a poster by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Divan Japonais. Its depiction of a dance hall would have felt familiar to Davis, and he was most probably impressed by the dynamic arrangement of flattened shapes. Two main figures are shown in profile, Jane Avril and Édouard Doujardin, both celebrities of the Parisian demi-monde.   In Gallery O were three more Lautrecs, sharing space with some of the most famous European artists on exhibit: Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas and Seurat. A painting by Lautrec, Woman Sitting At Table, (Harvard Art Museums/ Fogg Museum now The Hangover), shows a young Suzanne Valadon seated in profile facing to the right with a bottle and glass of wine. In the present work by Davis, what first strikes us is the similarity of the profile’s nose, lips and chin, painted one year after the Armory Show in 1914, to those of Jane Avril and the similarity of his sitter to that in The Hangover. Even more impressive in the Stuart Davis, however, are the deep field of saturated colors that envelopes his figure and the loosely painted, economically described folds of her dress. These illustrate how deeply Davis took in the best European art that was displayed and the extent to which it had affected him including those works by Picasso and Matisse. It is also interesting to note that when Picasso himself started to paint in Paris, the artist he first emulated was Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.