皮耶·博納爾

Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired from the artist in November 1926)

Jean Bloch, Paris

Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired from the above in 1939)

Olson, Stockholm (acquired from the above)

Svensk-Franska Konstgalleriet, Stockholm

Sale: Christie's, London,  June 29, 1981, lot 39

Acquired at the above sale

Stockholm, Svensk-Franska Konstgalleriet, Jubileumsutstallningen, 1943, no. 1

Stockholm, Svensk-Franska Konstgalleriet, Bonnard i Svensk ägo, 1947, no. 24, illustrated in the catalogue

Rolf Söderberg, Pierre Bonnard, Forum, 1949, illustrated p. 40

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, 1920-1939, Paris, 1973, no. 1349, illustrated p. 283

Excellent condition. Original canvas. Under UV, insignificant spects of retouching along the framing edge.
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.

The setting sun seen from the valley of Vernon is the subject of Bonnard's vertical landscape painting from 1926. While the orientation of the composition is unusual for traditional landscapes, Bonnard's choice emphasizes the axial direction of his attention has he paints the setting sun and the colorful transformation of the evening sky.

As James Elliott observed, “Bonnard was essentially a colorist. He devoted his main creative energies to wedding his sensations of color from nature to those from paint itself – sensations which he said thrilled and even bewildered him. Perceiving color with a highly developed sensitivity, he discovered new and unfamiliar effects from which he selected carefully, yet broadly and audaciously. [...] Whether in narrow range or multitudinous variety, the colours move across the surface of his paintings in constantly shifting interplay, lending an extraordinary fascination to common subjects. Familiar sights – the pervading greenness of a landscape, the intensification of color in objects on a lightly overcast day – are given vivid life” (J. Elliott, in Bonnard and His Environment (exhibition catalogue), Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1964, p. 25).