ANDERS ZORN | In the Bedroom

Private collection, Sweden (since 1937; sale: Sotheby's, New York, 23 October 1990, lot 213)
Peter Zobel (purchased at the above sale; Danish businessman and landowner Zobel (1935-2017) was CEO of Codan, Denmark’s leading insurance company, founded in 1916. In 1996 he acquired Bækkeskov, a seventeenth-century manor house and estate near Præstø in South Zealand.)

Gerda Boëthius, Anders Zorn. Tecknaren, målaren, etsaren, skulptören, Stockholm, 1949, p. 555, listed

The canvas has not been lined and is securely attached to a keyed wooden stretcher. The canvas is somewhat loose and could benefit from some light re-tensioning. With the exception of some isolated, fine lines of retouching in the lower part of the extreme left framing edge, possibly addressing some frame rubbing, this work appears to be in good original condition and is ready to hang. Presented in a wooden frame. Colours are somewhat less yellow in reality than what appears in the catalogue illustration.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This work and In the Artist's Studio (lot 5) occupy a unique position within Zorn's oeuvre for transposing the nude, which he typically painted against natural or rustic backdrops, into more urban settings. Zorn had commenced work on his female nudes in natural surroundings in Dalarö, in Stockholm’s archipelago, in the summer of 1887, and later in Dalarna, either in the surrounding forests or by its river banks, or warming themselves by the fire in his rustic retreats in Mora and Gopsmor. 

Here, the model leans on an elegant gilt bedstead, flanked by a gilt chair, in a plush city interior worlds apart from the log cabins of Mora and Dalarö. She is unselfconsciously absorbed in her thoughts in an intimate moment, unaware that she is being observed, much like Edgar Degas's nudes seen 'through the keyhole' (fig. 1). Indeed, after moving to Paris in 1888 Zorn fraternised with many French artists including Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Albert Besnard.

The painting perfectly reflects Zorn’s dual identity and the contrasting worlds in which he moved: the vitality of the wholesome and natural subject a reminder of his roots in his beloved rural Dalarna, the bourgeois interior a reflection of the urbane life - fraternising with Presidents and the nobility alike - to which he owed his wealth and success. As Carl Larsson noted, 'Zorn was at home here [in Paris], as he was everywhere, just like a fish in water. He painted and etched exquisite works: Renan, Berthelot, Faure, and Coquelin Cadet, their wives and mistresses.'