Paul Cézanne

Ambroise Vollard, Paris
Bernheim-Jeune, Paris
Paul Signac, Paris
Mme. Cachin-Signac, Paris (by descent from the above)
Wildenstein Galleries, New York
Galerie de L'Elysée (Alex Maguy), Paris
Pedro Vallenilla Echeverris, Caracas
Ernst Beyeler, Basel
Fischer Fine Art Ltd., London
Formes Gallery, Osaka
Tsutomu Sugiura, Saitama (on consignment)
T. Adachi, Zushi City, Japan
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Caracas, Fondation E. Mendoza, Cent années de peinture moderne 1840-1940, 1957, no. 16, illustrated in the catalogue
Caracas, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Oeuvres de la Collection Pedro Vallenilla Echeverris, 1959, no. 6
Paris, Galerie de L'Elysée, 1963
Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Autour de l'impressionnisme, 1966, no. 3, illustrated in the catalogue
Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Petits formats, 1967-68, no. 18, illustrated in the catalogue

Lionello Venturi, Cézanne, Son Art - son oeuvre, vol. I, Paris, 1936,
no. 261, catalogued p. 123; vol. II, no. 261, illustrated pl. 69 (dated circa 1875-77)
Gaston Diehl, L'Art moderne français à Caracas, n.d., no. 1, p. 16
René Huyghe, Impressionism, New York, 1971, illustrated p. 12
John Rewald, The Paintings of Paul Cézanne. A Catalogue Raisonné, vol. I, New York, 1996, no. 262, catalogued p. 180; vol. II, no. 262, illustrated p. 85

Work is in excellent condition. Canvas is unlined. Under UV light: a handful of pinhead sized dots of inpainting in upper right corner fluoresce. Some other areas fluoresce but appear to be original pigments. Otherwise fine. Colours: Overall much brighter, fresher and with more contrast 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.

The bathing figure, both male and female, served as an invaluable inspiration to Cézanne throughout his life. His artistic development is brilliantly displayed through the discourse of his explorations on the subject and Baigneur debout reveals the boldly modern and revolutionary approach that immortalized him. Mary Louise Krumrine discusses his initial approach to the subject, "The first expression of Cézanne's preoccupation with the theme of bathing -- three young swimmers under an enormous tree -- was penned on the back of a letter to Zola dated 20 June 1859. Many years later, in L'Oeuvre, Zola recalled that 'in their unreasoning worship of trees and hills and streams, and in the boundless joy of being alone and free, they found an escape from the matter-of-fact world and instinctively let themselves be drawn to the bosom of Nature'" (Mary Louise Krumrine,  Paul Cézanne, The Bathers, New York, 1989, p. 105).

Fig. 1 Paul Cézanne, Le grand baigneur, circa 1885, oil on canvas, The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Fig. 2 Cézanne assis devant Les Grandes baigneuses, photograph by Émile Bernard, 1904