Henri le Sidaner

Collection of the artist
Kaplan Gallery, London
Sale: Christie's, London, December 7, 1973, lot 170
Galleries Maurice Sternberg, Chicago (acquired at the above sale)
Sale: Christie's, London, December 4, 1979, lot 3
Private Collection (acquired at the above sale and sold: Christie's, London, December 2, 1986, lot 335)
Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 6, 1987, lot 165
Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 8, 2000, lot 63
Jane Roberts, Paris (acquired at the above sale)
Texas Art Gallery, Dallas (acquired from the above)
James E. Sowell, Texas (acquired from the above in June 2000 and sold: Christie's, New York, May 7, 2008, lot 336)
Acquired at the above sale

Brussels, Galerie des artists français, Le Sidaner, 1931, no. 1
Paris, Musée Galliera, Rétrospective Le Sidaner, no. 54
Chicago, Galleries Maurice Sternberg, 19th and 20th Century Masters, 1976, no. 5, illustrated in the catalogue
Pont-Aven, Musée de Pont-Aven, Henri le Sidaner et la Bretagne, 2002, no. 36, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Le Sidaner, L'Oeuvre peint et gravé, Paris, 1989, no. 512, illustrated p. 197
Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Henri Le Sidaner, Paysages intimes, Saint-Rémy-en-l'Eau, 2013, illustrated p. 174

The canvas is unlined. When examined under UV light, there is some natural fluorescence to the pigments. There also appears to be some scattered retouching to the table. There is some very minor rubbing and paint loss to the lower right, the lower left and the upper right corners. Light paint shrinkage to the center of the upper half. The surface is clean. There is lively impasto and the pigments are fresh and strong. The painting is in overall very good condition.
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.
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Henri Le Sidaner is perhaps best known for his subtle, serene and intimate scenes usually depicting a deserted table and almost always devoid of figures. Camille Mauclair wrote of Le Sidaner: “He considered that the silent harmony of things is enough to evoke the presence of those who live among them. Indeed, such presences are felt throughout his works. Deserted they may be but never empty” (Camille Mauclair, Henri Le Sidaner, Paris, 1928, p. 12). The present work is exceptional within the artist’s oeuvre because he moves his table setting, which is usually depicted in a private garden, to a café. In addition, he successfully combines two of his favorite subjects—the table and the port—and incorporates the very rare figural element of a mother and child.

Le Café du port, Le Croisic is actually one half of a spectacular work of the same title which Le Sidaner began creating for an exhibition at Galeries Georges Petit alongside the works of Ernest Laurent and Henri Martin. Not yet satisfied with the composition, he decided at the last minute not to include this large canvas but did exhibit eighteen others. Speaking about the exhibition, Édouard Sarradin said “three, one could say, brotherly talents were united in the great hall of Georges Petit. This made for an exhibition that was at once magnificent and exquisite” (quoted in Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, op. cit., 2013, p. 174). He continued working on Le Café du port, Le Croisic and when finished, it pleased him so much that he kept it for the rest of his life.

The large canvas was divided in half in 1965 after it was sold, and the present work is the right half of the former composition, which is illustrated in full in the catalogue raisonné (see fig. 1). The full composition was quite exceptional for le Sidaner, as it included a trio of revelers (for which the artist had his son Louis dress up as a sailor) in a departure from his serene compositions. Absent of its left half, the present work's relationship with the artist’s other table studies and quiet scenes becomes more direct. A characteristic sense of understated mystery pervades, a result of his Symbolist roots. The beautifully arranged table still life awaits as dusk descends on the port and the lights from inside the house start to flicker. The present work was painted at the height of his artistic prowess—“This is a time of utmost creative expression, where the artist reaches a climax in his art” (ibid., p. 37)—and sets a tender and atmospheric tone, especially in the contrast between the empty and the full tables.