HENRI MATISSE | Trois odalisques

Kraushaar Gallery, New York
Mrs. Jeremiah D. Maguire, New York (acquired by 1931)
Private Collection, New York (a gift from the above)
Weintraub Gallery, New York (acquired by 1971)
Thomas Gibson Fine Art, Ltd., London
Acquired from the above on December 3, 2001

Berlin & Lucerne, Galerien Thannhauser, Henri Matisse, 1930, no. 136, illustrated in the catalogue
New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Henri Matisse Retrospective Exhibition, 1931, no. 102 (titled The Siesta)

Executed on cream wove paper. The sheet is t-hinged to a mount at the upper right and upper left edges of its verso, and floating in its window mount. All four edges are deckled. Very minor handling creases along the top edge. There is what appears to be a 1/2 inch repaired tear by the hinge in the upper right corner. There is an artist pinhole in the lower left corner. There is a very faint mat stain running around the extreme perimeter of the sheet. Overall the work is in very good condition.
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.

"My models, human figures, are never just 'extras' in an interior. They are the principal theme in my work. I depend entirely on my model, whom I observe at liberty, and then I decide on the pose which best suits her nature. When I take a new model, I intuit the pose that will best suit her from her un-self-conscious attitudes of repose, and then I become the slave of that pose." —Henri Matisse quoted in Ernst Gerhard Güse, Henri Matisse, Drawings and Sculpture, Munich, 1991, p. 22



The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Madame Marguerite Duthuit-Matisse.