Raoul Dufy

Dr. Alexandre Roudinesco, Paris (acquired directly from the artist and sold: Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, October 10, 1968, lot 23)
Samuel J. & Ethel LeFrak, New York (acquired at the above sale)
Thence by descent

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune Dauberville, Chefs-d'oeuvre de Raoul Dufy, 1959, no. 22

Maurice Laffaille, Raoul Dufy, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, vol. III, Geneva, 1976, no. 1172, illustrated p. 204

The canvas is unlined. It is buckling a little in the lower left corner. There is some rubbing to the periphery of the canvas. There is a pin-dot loss to the green pigment in the lower left quadrant. There is no evidence of retouching to the canvas when examined under UV light. There is some surface dirt. The painting is in 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.
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.

Greatly inspired by the Fauves and Matisse’s striking colorist works, Raoul Dufy was able to apply these influences to his own art, creating a unique aesthetic focusing on the celebration of color and pattern. Indeed Dufy, upon viewing Matisse’s Luxe, calm et volupté at the Salon d’Autmone in 1905, stated, "At the sight of this picture I understood all the new reasons for painting, and Impressionist realism lost its charm for me as I contemplated the miracle of the imagination introduced into design and colour. I immediately understood the new pictorial mechanics" (quoted in John Elderfield, The ‘Wild Beasts’: Fauvism and Its Affinities, New York, 1976, p. 78).

Beginning in 1928, Dufy applied his skill to that most classical of artistic muses, the female nude. His studio on the Impasse de Guelma became the backdrop to his work, allowing him to frame his sitters in rich textiles which he could exploit through his palette. Dora Perez-Tibi notes that "the place of the model in Dufy’s studio…was often taken by the Indian Anmaviti Pontry. She frequently poses nude reclining on an Indian shawl whose decorative sumptuousness is matched by that of the hangings printed with oriental motifs: her lascivious pose and the explosion of colour suggests and atmosphere of unequivocal eroticism… In Dufy’s work the model is created by colour; the light of the painting emanates from the Model’s flesh. These nudes are at rest…their opulent appearance is devoid of vulgarity" (Dora Perez-Tibi, Dufy, London, 1989, p. 242).