Lot 238
  • 238

Henri Matisse

Estimate
150,000 - 250,000 USD
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Description

  • Henri Matisse
  • Nu sur le canapé (recto) & Nu au collier (verso): A Double-Sided Drawing
  • Signed Henri Matisse and dated 36 (lower left on the recto)
  • Pen and ink on paper
  • 14 7/8 by 10 in.
  • 37.7 by 25.4 cm

Provenance

Gaston Bernheim de Villers, Paris (acquired by 1953)
Helen Serger (La Boétie, Inc.), New York (acquired in 1966)
Acquired from the above

Literature

Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Matisse, vol. II, Paris, 1995, no. 740, illustrated p. 1353

Condition

This work is in very good condition. Executed on cream wove paper. The edges are deckled. Hinged at two places on the upper edge of the sheet. There is a soft handling crease to the center of the sheet near the figure's eye. There is some yellowing to the extreme edges of he sheet which may be the result of a previous mounting. There is an extremely minor spot of foxing on the verso which shows through slightly through to the recto near the figure's armpit. There are some very faint small accretions near the figure's wrist. Otherwise, fine.
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

After much strife in his personal life, the reappearance of the artist’s favorite subject—the odalisque—marked his return to health and artistic productivity. The present work is a vision of luxurious comfort, enhanced by the use of inclusion of rich patterning which underscores the delicacy of Matisse's line. The sense of volume which Matisse creates with his nude models in Nu sur le canapé & Nu au collier is offset by a bold flattening of perspective in the decorative elements that fill the space on the verso. Matisse preferred to situate his models in richly-adorned spaces with patterned textiles, creating a dynamism in his drawings that is rarely matched in the Modernist canon. His focus, however, always remains on the model. This is even more notable on the recto, which celebrates the sumptuous sexuality of the female form in its entirety. Most notably formally is the stunningly sinuous line which extends from the figure's rib towards her right elbow on the verso, exhibiting the assured manner in which Matisse's approached his drawing practice.