Anne Estelle Rice 1877-1959

STRUCTURE This picture is in excellent original condition with clear colouring throughout and areas rich texture. The paint surface is stable and clean and there are no signs of craquelure. The board is flat and there are no signs of warping. The picture is ready to hang. UNDER ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT There are retouchings to the top edge of the picture where the paint surface had been rubbed by the rebate of the frame. There are further very minor retouchings on the extreme right of the tablecloth in the foreground and one very small retouching to the right of the right shutter on the lower right window. These retouchings are minor and appear to be purely cosmetic. FRAME This picture is contained in a moulded plaster frame.
"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."

Many of Rice's work from her early days in Paris were lost when she made a trip to the USA and much of what is available today dates from the 1940s and 1950s. Garden of the Grand Hotel, Cap d'Antibes, a highly expressive and emotive painting, can be tentatively dated to 1924; her husband confirmed they were on holiday in Antibes that year. One can detect traces of impressionistic brushwork in the rendering of the trees and there is still some use of the delicate language of Cubism operating throughout the foreground. Overall the composition is structured by using striking warm and cool oppositions in a highly keyed palette where primary and secondary colours dominate. Rice uses this to great effect, achieving a coursing rhythm throughout the composition - retaining the somewhat violent impact of Fauvism. The colour, along with the expressive application of paint and simplified shapes that lie close to the picture plane create the hypnotic sensuality that was so celebrated in the paintings of her early career. Her decorative bent is also clearly evident in this work. Garden of the Grand Hotel, Cap d'Antibes is a rare example of Rice's celebrated early period.