MAURICE UTRILLO | La Maison de Mimi Pinson

Dr. Othmar Huber, Glarus, Switzerland
Dr. W. Drack, Oetikon, Switzerland (acquired in 1956)
Galerie Gattlen, Lausanne (acquired by 1963)
Mr. C. Sfezzo, Lausanne (and sold: Christie’s, London, December 1, 1987, lot 215)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Basel, Kunsthalle, M. Utrillo, 1942
Lausanne, Galerie Gattlen, De Monet à Picasso, 1963, no. 27
Tokyo, Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Museum of Art & traveling, Maurice Utrillo, La Collection d'un amateur d'art, 2010, no. 4, illustrated in the catalogue

Paul Pétridès, L'Oeuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo, vol. II, Paris, 1962, no. 515, illustrated n.p.

This work is in very good condition. Panel is cradled and sound. There is a layer of varnish on the surface which is slightly dirty. Under UV light there are a few very minor strokes of inpainting around the extreme perimeter, 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.

With its angled, cobblestone streets, shops and bars, often sprinkled with pedestrians and capped by the dome of the basilica of Sacré Coeur, the bohemian neighborhood of Montmartre provided the inspiration for the vast majority of Utrillo's work. Like many other important artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso, Utrillo developed his own artistic vocabulary to depict this neighborhood, in which a bustling creative verve can be felt in his depictions of its famous landmarks. The house of Mimi Pinson is one of these landmarks that recurs in paintings throughout Utrillo's career. He painted the house from different perspectives and during different seasons. A work depicting a very similar view of the house is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. In the present work, Utrillo chooses to focus on the architecture of the building itself, rather than the surrounding street scene. Through his depiction of the stoicism of the house and making its environs secondary, Utrillo creates an almost portrait-like painting that conveys his love for the neighborhood.

Instead of a real-life individual, Mimi Pinson was the titular fictional character in an 1845 poem by Alfred de Musset. During Utrillo's time, Mimi Pinson became synonymous with a grisette, a working-class French woman who socialized in the bohemian quartiers of Paris and often served as models for artists.



The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the Comité Utrillo-Valadon.