Lot 327
  • 327

Paul Delvaux

Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 USD
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Description

  • Paul Delvaux
  • Les Amies
  • Signed P. Delvaux. and dated 18-1-68 (lower right)
  • Watercolor, gouache, pen and ink and ink wash on paper
  • 28 3/4 by 43 1/4 in.
  • 73 by 110 cm

Provenance

Madame Krebs, Brussels
Galerie Lévy, Milan
Paul Hottlet, Belgium (and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 21, 2005, lot 152)
Acquired at the above sale

Exhibited

Cologne, Galerie Gmurzynska, Ensor, Delvaux, Magritte, 1969
Osaka, Musée d'art de Daimaru & traveling, Paul Delvaux, 1989, no. 94, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Paris, Grand Palais, Paul Delvaux, Peintures-dessins, 1922-1982, 1991, no. 25, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Brussels, Musées royaux des beaux-arts de belgique, Paul Delvaux, 1997, no. 222, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Condition

This work is in very good condition. Executed on cream wove paper. The sheet is affixed to the matte window along its periphery. There is a light overall undulation to the sheet. The pigment is fresh and strong. There is very minor surface dirt to the page. There is very minor light uniform fading to the paper.
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

The mood in the present work is one of great sensuality, with the two figures intertwined in a gentle embrace. The white bodies of the female figures contrast powerfully with the darkness peeking through the windows framing the scene in the background. The quiet repose of the two girls, seen as an oasis of calm, dominates the foreground. Here, the pen is used sparingly, lightly stroking in the contours of the reclining bodies, and this economy of line is boldly contrasted by the intricacies of the detailed setting behind the figures. Inspired by the work of the French masters and the rich history of the nude in European painting Delvaux gives the theme a fresh twist by locating it in a modern-day setting, with a gas lamp in the background.

Writing about a similar work with the same title from 1946, Delvaux was unequivocal about its subject matter, identifying the figures as "Two Lesbians." He goes on to say, "I find something very beautiful, from the point of view of formal values and line, in the contact between female flesh. It is, perhaps, erotic, but there is nothing wrong with that. In painting, all feelings become ethereal. Courbet, famously, made three paintings of lesbians in the following states Avant, Pendant and Après. The three paintings were seized at the Franco-Belgian border. The first two were burnt on the spot and the third was sent back to France: I've seen the photograph, and it's a wonderful painting" (quoted in Paul Delvaux, Peintures-dessins, 1922-1982 (exhibition catalogue), op. cit., p. 66). Although Delvaux's story about the three Courbet paintings is almost certainly apocryphal, the image he saw in a photograph (which he knew as Après) is almost certainly Le Sommeil (see fig. 1).