Raoul Dufy

Nico Mazaraki, Paris
Galerie Fanny Guillon-Laffaille, Paris
Acquired from the above

Fanny Guillon-Laffaille, Raoul Dufy, Catalogue raisonné des aquarelles, gouaches et pastels, vol. I, Paris, 1982, no. 1027, illustrated p. 374

This work is in very good condition. Hinged with three pieces of tape along the top edge on the reverse. The colors are bright and fresh. There are several old tape marks to the periphery of the verso. There is evidence of tape residue visible at the front of the sheet along the right and left edges, which is not visible when the work is in its mat. There is a one half inch paper material adhered upper left to the surface that appears to be original.
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.

Dufy’s practice reveals his fascination with scenes of upper-class amusements such as regattas, concerts and horse races which presented the artist with colorful crowds and joyous energy. Horse racing, a motif Dufy first investigated as early as 1913, quickly became a central theme in his oeuvre. Encouraged by his friend the designer Paul Poiret, Dufy initially concentrated his attentions on the fashionable dress and interactions of the sociable crowd on the stands and around the race track, but was soon drawn by the exhilarating atmosphere of the race itself. In La Course à Epsom, with the race taking center stage in the foreground and an active crowd mingling in the background, the artist depicts a sense of excitement and activity both on the racetrack and in the stands.

Raoul Dufy developed his distinct style of bold colors and strong lines after encountering the art of Henri Matisse and the Fauves at the Salon d’Automne in 1905. In the present work, Dufy has applied vibrant greens, blues and purples in transparent washes that break the black outlines, lending a sense of movement and spontaneity to the scene and thus conveying beautifully the vibrant atmosphere of horse racing. As Dora Perez-Tibi describes, "These racecourse scenes—whether in France, at Deauville, Lonchamp or Chantilly or, in England, at Epsom, Ascot or Goodwood—allowed Dufy to put his 'couleur-lumière' theory into practice... He decided to convey light by means of colour; the absence of colour represents the unlit area... For Dufy, the balance of the composition comes from the distribution of all the points of light in the centre of each element of the painting. It was here that he found the secret of his composition" (Dora Perez-Tibi, Dufy, New York, 1989, pp. 158-62).