Lot 134
  • 134

Pierre Bonnard

Estimate
400,000 - 600,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Pierre Bonnard
  • La Place Clichy
  • Signed Bonnard (lower right)
  • Oil on board laid down on cradled panel
  • 20 3/4 by 26 3/8 in.
  • 52.8 by 67.4 cm

Provenance

Sale: Palais Galliéra, Paris, June 10, 1963, lot 12
Paul Pétridès, Paris
Acquired from the above in May 1965

Literature

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l’oeuvre peint, 1940-47 et Supplément 1887-1939, vol. IV, Paris, 1974, no. 01809, illustrated p. 191

Condition

Condition Report prepared by Simon Parkes, February 7, 2016 This work on paperboard was mounted onto wood and subsequently cradled. The reason for this structural support is a fairly complex series of breaks in the lower right and across the bottom center through the street. While slight dips and inconsistencies are visible here in the lower right, the paint layer is not unstable. Under ultraviolet light, one can see that some cracks in the upper right sky and in the trees have received a few retouches. There are similar retouches in the buildings directly above the leading figure on the right. The same figure has a few spots in her body and one spot on the right side of her cheek. There is another restoration toward the lower left corner. There is a thin line across the blue street, which is probably a crease in the paperboard. There are some very thin retouches here. The condition is otherwise extremely good.
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.

Catalogue Note

Bonnard’s La Place Clichy depicts a busy Parisian square near Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement, which was a popular artists’ quarter in the early twentieth century. Bonnard and his fellow artist Édouard Vuillard, who lived nearby, took joy in observing and painting the crowded streets around Place Clichy and the bohemian lifestyle of its inhabitants. The present composition is dominated by the elegantly dressed ladies in the foreground, talking as they stroll down the street. The image here presents a radically modern approach, shifting the focus away from the center of the composition, towards two figural groups in the foreground. The positioning of the figures, as if leaving the scope of the picture, suggest a chance momentary glimpse, rather than a carefully staged ensemble. It is this nonchalance of composition that makes this one of Bonnard’s more accomplished street scenes.

In the autumn of 1899 the artist rented a studio and apartment at 65 rue de Douai, near Place Clichy and Place Pigalle, with a view towards Montmartre. Charles Terrasse later recalled Bonnard’s studio: "There were canvases. Easels all around, and in an angle a small table where one would have lunch. The balcony was a place that was particularly attractive. From there one could see so many things. A whole world. The street below was bustling… agitated like a sea" (Charles Terrasse, quoted in Pierre Bonnard: Early and Late (exhibition catalogue), The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., 2003, p. 33).  

Bonnard shared his fascination with the city with a number of Impressionist and post-Impressionist artists, and in choosing this subject matter he drew on the tradition of depicting the busy streets and cafés of the French capital. Gustave Caillebotte, Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro all executed a number of works depicting Parisian boulevards, squares and bridges, usually characterized by a sense of rich and varied life of the city. Gustave Geffroy commented: "no-one is quicker than Bonnard to seize the look of our Parisian streets, the silhouettes of a passer-by and the patch of colour which stands out in the Metropolitan mist. [He] seizes on all the momentary phenomena of the street, even the most fugitive glances are caught and set down" (Gustave Geffroy, quoted in Pierre Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1996, p. 16).