Kees van Dongen

Bernheim-Jeune, Paris
Dr A. Roudinesco, Paris
Baron de R. (sale: Palais Galliera, Paris, 24th June, 1968, lot 18)
Wally Findlay Galleries, New York (acquired in 1968)
Bruce Norris, Chicago (acquired in 1972)
Private Collection, United States
Wally Findlay Galleries, New York
Private Collection, Europe (acquired from the above in 2002)

Warsaw, L'Art français, de Manet à nos jours, 1937, no. 124
Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Chevaux et cavaliers, 1948, no. 124 (titled Aux courses)
New York, Wally Findlay Galleries, 50 Masters from Renoir to Vlaminck, 1969
New York, Wally Findlay Galleries, Important Paintings from L'École de Rouen, Barbizon, Montmartre and Post Impressionist Masters, 2002

Excellent condition. Original canvas. Under ultra-violet light there is a small speck of inpainting in the trotting ring along the lower right side as well as some inpainting in the green infield contained within the circle. Other than that, there are only some very faint touches at the extreme upper edge and the canvas is otherwise untouched. Colours: the colours are overall fairly accurate, although slightly stronger in the original.
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.

By the 1920s, Van Dongen had become renowned for depicting the Parisian upper class enjoying their leisure time. The artist had recently been introduced to this world through his friend Léa Jacob, otherwise known as Jasmy, and quickly became immersed in the extravagant parties and social events of the Paris elite. One of the subjects that caught his attention was the race track, and this picture depicts the spectacle of the event.

Le Paddock à Deauville is a colourful example of the social events that became the subject of Van Dongen's later compositions. Like his contemporary Raoul Dufy, who also painted this subject, Van Dongen focuses on the energetic atmosphere of the event, when the jockeys, thoroughbreds and the well-dressed spectators mill about in the moments just before or after the race. Critics praised Van Dongen for his use of colour in these pictures, which he used to enhance the perspective of these scenes. Here he has defined the foreground with a deep emerald green, dotted with the bright orange of the horses. William E. Steadmen has written that Van Dongen 'rid his palette of all constraint and gave free rein to that creative joy in light and color. The basic principle of Van Dongen's art can be summed up in his freedom of imagination; when he painted, the colors flowed from his brush like many-hued ribbons guided completely by his natural resources' (W. E. Steadman & Denys Sutton, Cornelis Theodorus Marie Van Dongen (exhibition catalogue), The University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, 1971, p. 10).