PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR | Paysage, maison de la poste

Ambroise Vollard, Paris (acquired from the artist before 1919)
Private Collection, Switzerland (and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 29, 1994, lot 117)
Acquired at the above sale

Ambroise Vollard, Tableaux, pastels et dessins de Pierre-Auguste Renoir, vol. II, Paris, 1918, illustrated pl. 135
Ambroise Vollard, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paintings, Pastels and Drawings, San Francisco, 1989, fig. 1474, illustrated p. 303
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1911-1919, vol. V, Paris, 2014, no. 3944, illustrated p. 186

The canvas is lined. There are two small artist's pinholes at the lower left and right corner. The extreme edges of the work have been supported with tape which is not visible when framed. UV light light, there are two minor spots of retouching at the centrer of the upper edge. Overall this work is in 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.

In 1907, Renoir settled in Cagnes where he bought an old farm called Les Collettes situated in an olive grove, where he moved into with his family in 1908. He was to remain in Les Collettes for the rest of his life. Views of the Mediterranean and mountainous landscapes beyond provided the artist with infinite inspiration. The Cagnes landscape consequently played an important role in Renoir’s work during these years, as John House notes, “the estate provided him with his principal subjects for landscape; he focused sometimes on the panoramic view of it from the coast and the old town of Cagnes, sometimes on its ancient, twisting olive trees, and often on the old farmhouse on the estate” (John House, Renoir (exhibition catalogue), Hayward Gallery, London, 1985, p. 276). In a 1918 interview with the art critic René Gimpel the artist commented: “The olive tree, what a brute! If you realize how much trouble it has caused me. A tree full of colours. Not great at all. Its little leaves, how they’ve made me sweat! A gust of wind, and my tree’s tonality changes. The colour isn’t on the leaves, but in the spaces between them. I know that I can’t paint nature, but I enjoy struggling with it. A painter can’t be great if he doesn’t understand landscape” (quoted in ibid., p. 277).

This work will be included in the forthcoming Renoir Digital Catalogue raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc.