KEES VAN DONGEN | Bouquet d'hortensias

Sale: Christie's, New York, 25th February 1981, lot 37
Galerie Taménaga, Tokyo
Yoneichi Otani, Tokyo (acquired from the above in June 1981; sale: Christie's, New York, 13th November 2015, lot 1407)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Tokyo, The New Otani Museum, 1991 - 2013, n.n.

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"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."

Bouquet d’hortensias is a striking example of Kees van Dongen’s unique approach to the traditional still life genre. The pale pink and shimmering blue hydrangeas, framed by their delicate leaves, emerge from the canvas to transform the typically unassuming subject into a dynamic composition. The artist’s handling of paint and employment of colour grants this work an expressive and highly-charged quality. Reflecting his affiliation with the movement of Fauvism which occurred around 1904 when he was engaged with two of its principle exponents, André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck, van Dongen retained his love for thickly applied paint and highly saturated hues. Yet this present work denotes the artist’s unique style, as he diverts from the ebullient brightness of Fauvism and explores the effects of a mysterious dark background and use of shading. His omission of the vase from the canvas instils the scene with a pervading sense of energy and elevates the work from an ordinary still life to a thought-provoking image of the avant-garde. The French-Dutch artist had a remarkable ability for taking a traditional subject matter and distilling it to its central elements of colour and energy. So focussed was Van Dongen's obsession with colour, scholar William Steadman has suggested that it held for the artist a symbolic meaning and status (William E. Steadman & Denys Sutton, Cornelius Theodorus Marie Van Dongen, Tuscon, 1971, pp. 20-28).

The present work evokes the colour and expressive line that became the quintessence of his style. Having moved to Paris in 1897, in 1926, the artist was inducted into the French Legion of Honor, and, in 1927, awarded the Order of the Crown of Belgium. Van Dongen’s approach to art earned him international approbation and Bouquet d’hortensias beautifully epitomises the intoxicating painterly intensity with which the artist imbued his still lifes.



This work is accompanied by an Attestation of Inclusion from the Wildenstein Institute, and it will be included in the forthcoming van Dongen Digital Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc.