Maurice de Vlaminck

Daniel-Henri Kahnweiler, Paris
Galerie Bellier, Paris
Dr. B. Noordhoff, Haren, The Netherlands
Sale: Christie's, New York, May 8, 2002, lot 291
Richard Green Fine Paintings, London (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above

Roslyn, Nassau County Museum of Art, Long Island Collections, 2009, n.n.
Roslyn, Nassau County Museum of Art, The Sea Around Us, 2010, n.n. 
Roslyn, Nassau County Museum of Art, Long Island Collects Modern Art, 2015, n.n.

This work is in excellent condition. The canvas is unlined. The surface is clean. There are a few diagonal striations to the canvas which appear inherent. The colors are fresh. Under UV light: no evidence of inpainting.
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.

Maurice de Vlaminck was one of the principle figures of the radical Fauve movement which sought to champion painterly qualities and daring colors over representational values. The term was coined in 1905, when critic Louis Vauxcelles called the artists "wild beasts" for their progressive retaliation against traditional aesthetics. However, just two years later, Vlaminck was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the coloristic exuberances of the movement he helped to found. In 1907, he attended an exhibition of Cézanne’s paintings at the Salon d’Automne which was to have a profound impact on the direction of his work.

That same year he returned to his hometown of Chatou, a suburb of Paris located on the Seine. Vlaminck had grown up an avid yachtsman and found subjects for his paintings in the bustling life on the river and along the river’s edge. The present work comes from a significant period after his return to Chatou and following his rediscovery of the work of the Provençal master—the mutual influences of which are strongly apparent in the composition. Sailing boats populate the water surface, poised and proud; one particular boat dominates the foreground, whose grand sail is boldly reflected in the river. In the strong vertical lines of the sails and trees, Vlaminck references Cézanne’s constructed compositions with clearly delineated planes. The palette, too, is highly evocative of Cézanne, with deep blues and greens. There is nevertheless a freedom in the handling that is reminiscent of the Vlaminck’s earlier Fauve work. Voiliers sur la Marne is therefore a beautiful example of a transitional period in the artist’s work, evoking the structured manner and colors of Cézanne, which had the effect of revitalizing him in 1907, while nevertheless maintaining the qualities of exuberance which sat at the very heart of Fauvism.