By Carter B. Horsley
The day auction of Impressionist and Modern Art at Sotheby's November 8, 2007 is highlighted by a fine work by Jean Metzinger, a lovely Claude Monet, a stunning painting by Félix Vallotton, and good works by August Herbin, Alfred Sisley, Emile-Othon Friesz, Edouard Vuillard, Berthe Morisot, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and Henri Martin.
Lot 144 is a lovely waterlily oil on canvas by Claude Monet (1840-1926). It measures 25 1/2 by 21 1/4 inches and was painted in 1918. It has a conservative estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $1,777,000 including the buyer's premium as do all results mentioned in this article.
The sales total for the auction was $61,753,750.
"In the present work," the catalogue entry for this lot noted, "the surface of the water is alive with elements from the verdant world Monet created. His dream of immersion for the viewer is achieved, as the water's surface dances with both the plants on its surface and the reflections from the sky above. The dabs of deep purplish pink set among the white blooms swirling on their stems make up the central element of the composition, and the wisteria, seen in reflection, hangs in a bright blue curtain that floats mysteriously upward from the bottom of the picture plane. This characteristic use of broad brushstrokes and near abstraction, along with the flatness of the picture plane and abandonment of traditional perspective has caused the Nymphéas series to be hailed as the first truly abstract art, prefiguring Abstract Expressionism."
Lot 310 is a superb abstraction by Jean Metzinger (1883-1956) that embodies the principles he published in 1912 in an essay on Cubism with Albert Gleizes. The oil on canvas measures 24 by 32 inches and is entitled "Nature Morte au Potiron et Bouteille de Rhum." It was painted in 1917. It has a modest estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It sold for $881,000.
Lot 226 is a superb landscape by Félix Vallotton (1865-1925). Entitled "Les Pommes," it is an oil on canvas that measures 28 7/8 by 39 1/2 inches and it was painted in 1911. The lot comes from the estate of Margaret Phipps Boegner. It has a modest estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. It sold for $577,000. The catalogue provides the following commentary:
"Although it is common to categorize him as a Nabis painter, Vallotton remained unaffiliated throughout his artistic career, following his own path. His influences ranged from the emotional depth of Edvard Munch's ouevre to the more common inspiration of Japanese woodblock prints. His portrayals of Parisian society at the turn of the last century are certainly highlights of his oeuvre, but the rural landscape also fulfilled a vital role in his art. Although he had painted landscapes from the conception of his artistic career, he became particularly intrigued by the creative potential of the French countryside from 1909 until his death in 1925. He imbued these landscapes with a psychological profundity that surpassed and inspired many of his contemporaries. The current work is a brilliant demonstration of his ability to anthropomorphize a rural landscape, creating a singular sense of emotional presence.
Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940) is represented in the auction by two fine works, Lots 225 and 111. The former is entitled "Femmes dans Le Salon à La Terrasse à Vasouy." It is a gouache and oil on cardboard that measures 11 by 16 3/4 inches and was executed circa 1903-4. It has a modest estimate of $120,000 to $160,000. It sold for $115,000.
Lot 111 is a lovely small oil on a card of the artist's mother peeling potatoes. It measures 9 5/8 by 9 inches and was painted circa 1895.
"Following the death of her husband in 1883," the catalogue noted, "Madame Vuillard moved her corset-making shop to her home, where Vuillard lived with her until her death in 1928. Mme Vuillard's atelier was the focus of the artist's household, a milieu which influenced his work significantly. Contrary to other Nabi painters, who based their subjects on mostly esoteric or religious statements, it was the representation of domestic interiors, traditionally reserved for women, which had proved popular with Vuillard....In the present work, Madame Vuillard is surrounded by an intimate atmosphere of soft and warm light. She sits peacefully in a chair, peeling potatoes. In the true Nabi spirit, the details of the dress are given as much importance as the other elements of the painting. A large white dish cloth rests on her knees, while the fabric of her dress is carefully detailed with colored stripes and dots."
The lot failed to sell.
Lot 123 is a lovely oil on canvas by Berthe Morisot (1841-1895) entitled "Petite Fille à L'Oiseau." It measures 25 5/8 by 21 1/4 inches and was executed in 1891. "Morisot was a pioneer among the avant-garde," according to the catalogue entry, "not only because she was one of the few female members of the Impressionist group, but also because she approached portraiture with a distinctive style and intimacy that was unmatched by her contemporaries. Her work was characterized by what critics praised as a 'light and airy brushwork,' and her models were usually women and children whom she knew from her bourgeois circle. According to a letter from the artist's daughter Julie, the model in Petite fille à l'oiseau was a girl named Cocotte, who worked for a haberdasher. During the winter of 1891-82, Cocotte sat for Morisot's Fillette au chapeau, now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Fillette au panier, the pastel study of which is in the collection of the Musée Marmottan, Paris....Morisot completed this picture in her studio on the rue de Villejust, where Julie's pet sparrow and parakeet fluttered about the drawing room."
It has an estimtae of $800,000 to $1,200,000. It sold for $937,000.
Lot 102 is a fine landscape by Henri Martin (1860-1943). Entitled "La Rivière au Printemps," it is an oil on canvas that measures 32 by 23 1/2 inches and was painted circa 1930. It has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It failed to sell.
Another fine work by Martin is Lot 185, "La Pergola à Marquayrol," an oil on canvas that measures 65 by 106 3/8 inches.
"After searching for the ideal house for almost ten years," the catalogue entry remarks, "Martin finally acquired Marquayrol in 1900, a beautiful mansion overlooking Labastide-du-Vert, near Cahors, in southwest France. The house and the region became his main sources of inspiration and deeply influenced his style. It was here that the artist found the important southern light denied him in Paris which stimulated and fulfilled his artistic needs....The present work, painted circa 1915, is a particularly fine example of Martin's mature style. The scene of two women feeding a goat takes place next to Marquayrol, its southern wall visible to the left of the composition. The famous pergola, with its abundant foliage, provides the focus of the composition. The house is set high on the hill above the village of Labastide-du-Vert, situated here to the right. The rich colours in this painting betray all the intensity of the southern light that Martin so longed for in his work."
The lot has an estimate of $800,000 to $1,200,000. It sold for $937,000.
Lot 234 is an excellent landscape by Emile-Othon Friesz (1879-1949) entitled "La Cote de Grace, Honfleur." An oil on canvas, it measures 15 1/8 by 18 1/8 inches and was painted circa 1906/ It has a modest estimate of $80,000 to $120,000. It sold for $139,000.
Lot 182 is a very fine landscape by Alfred Sisley (1839-1899) entitled "Sur La Route de Moret." An oil on canvas, it measures 21 3/8 by 28 7/8 inches and was painted in 1882. It was once in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. It has a modest estimate of $650,000 to $850,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 396 is an excellent abstraction by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946). A gouache and collage on board, it measures 20 by 16 inches and was executed in 1941. In 1937, the Association of Arts and Industries invited the artist to open an industrial design school in Chicago and it opened as The New Bauhaus in the old Marshall Field mansion in Chicago and the artist renamed it the School of Design a year later. In 1944, it became the Institute of Design.It has an estimate of $50,000 to $70,000. It failed to sell.
Lot 414 is a very vibrant work by André Lhote. Entitled "Paysage," it is an oil on canvas that measures 18 by 21 inches and was painted circa 1940. It has an estimate of $45,000 to $65,000. It sold for $97,000.
Lot 401 is a strong work by Victor Brauner (1903-1966) entitled "L'Animal Manuel." An oil on canvas, it measures 21 1/4 by 25 1/2 inches and was painted in 1943. The catalogue notes that the surrealist artist was "long haunted by a paranoia of being blinded" and "he was to lose the sight of his left eye while attempting to calm a violent argument between two friends in 1938." The lot has an estimate of $250,000 to $350,000. It sold for $277,000.
Lot 399 is a large painting by Gordon Onslow Ford (1912-2003) entitled "Parliament of Space Makers." An oil on canvas, it measures 39 1/4 by 81 1/4 inches and was painted in 1944. It has an estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. It sold for $229,000.
Lot 352 is a good Cezannesque landscape by Maurice de Vlaminck (1876-1958). An oil on canvas, it measures 35 3/4 by 28 3/8 inches and was painted circa 1912. It has an estimate of $600,000 to $800,000. It failed to sell.
A late and less dramatic but still interesting Herbin work is Lot 338, "La Maison Rouge," an oil on canvas that measures 45 4/8 by 35 inches and was painted in 1925. The work reflects his interests in Purism, "a movement founded by Ozenfant and Le Corbusier based on a reassessment of Cubism" The work has an estimate of $300,000 to $400,000. It sold for $713,000.
Lot 337 is a very strong work by Auguste Herbin (1882-1960). Entitled "Etang et Petite Maison," it was painted in 1908 and is an oil on canvas that measures 23 5/8 by 28 3/4 inches. Herbin exhibited with the Fauves in 1907 and would win recognition in Germany where his work was shown in the Secession and Die Brucke. The lot has a conservative estimate of $300,000 to $400,000. It sold for $337,000.