Tsuguharu Foujita

Andréas Kruge, Gothenburg
Sale: Christie's, London, December 2, 1982, lot 36
Private Collection (and sold: Christie's, New York, May 15, 1997, lot 400)
Acquired at the above sale

Sylvie Buisson, Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita, vol. II, Paris, 2001, no. 28.197, illustrated p. 273

The canvas has been lined. The surface is a little dirty and very fine lines of craquelure are scattered throughout, though the paint layer is completely stable and covered with a thin layer of varnish. There are also minor marks from abrasion along the extreme outer edges, most notable at the upper left edge and bottom center edge. Under UV light: certain pigments fluoresce and very small areas of in-painting are visible in a few places, for example a half-inch spot on the figure's nose as well as two 2-inch horizontal lines along her torso, and finally a small half-inch spot to the left of her stomach. Overall the work is in 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.

Tsuguharu Foujita arrived in Paris on the eve of World War I in 1913. However, avant-garde art did not wither on the vine during the war; it picked up where it had left off once the war came to an end. The foreign artists who had gathered in Paris lent an endless vitality to the city during the 1910s and 1920s. Among the artist who constituted the so-called École de Paris (School of Paris) were Amedeo Modigliani, who arrived in the city in 1906, and Chaïm Soutine, who, like Foujita, arrived in 1913.

Foujita developed his own unique style and achieved an unprecedented, ground-breaking freedom by painting reclining nudes that diverged from the limitations of the salon and academic styles. Foujita's nudes breached the traditions of Japanese painting, and it was through this breach that Western audiences were able to glimpse a daring new style of erotic expression, all through the familiar idiom of reclining nudes.

The languid sweetness, restrained colors, and delicate luster of the painting are all representative of the golden years of 1920s-30s Paris, and it is a sublime example of the nude genre. At this time, Foujita's appreciation of female beauty was fueled by two models who profoundly influenced him: Kiki de Montparnasse and Youki. At the time, the most famous model in Montparnasse was Kiki, the muse of many Parisian avant-garde artists. Kiki had a bold and unrestrained personality, and she became the protagonist of Foujita's first nudes. If Kiki represented a free and uninhibited beauty, then Youki stood for grace and perception, and it was Youki who would become Foujita's most important model during the 1920s. It was in 1923 that Foujita met Lucie Badoud, the woman he would nickname Youki (small snow) for her snow-like skin. Their courtship, marriage, and eventual separation coincide precisely with the period of Foujita's wholehearted development of his nude painting style.