Georges Rouault

George Gershwin, New York
Mr. and Mrs. Ira Gershwin, New York
Galerie Beyeler, Basel
Acquired from the above in 1969

Los Angeles, Department of Muncipal Art, 1952 
New York, Museum of Modern Art, 1952
Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Presence des Maîtres, no. 46, illustrated in color
Smith College Museum of Art, on temporary loan

R. H. Wilenski, Moderne Franzosiche Maleri, Berlin, 1964, p. 296 
Bernard Dorival & Isabelle Rouault, Rouault, L'oeuvre peint, Monaco, 1988, vol. I, no. 109, p. 48

The work is completely laid down to a very heavy, 3/8 inch cardboard. While there is some abrasion of the paper and pigment at the very edges of the piece (from contact with the frame), the image and the sheet, are in remarkably fine, untouched condition. This report was kindly provided by the paper conservator Alan Firkser.
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.

Executed in 1904, Le Vieux clown is an emblematic icon which Rouault repeated continuously throughout his career.  Clowns were, according to Lionello Venturi, "the dream of Rouault's life."  These nomadic entertainers represented freedom and naiveté, and were for Rouault a release from his focus on prostitutes and other darker images of life.  The clown was a craftsman practicing an art uncomplicated by the problems of the day.  Venturi continues, "When he paints clowns, however, the grotesque becomes amiable, even lovable. . .  colors grow rich and resplendent, almost as if the artist, laying aside his crusader's arms for a moment, were relaxing in the light of the sun and letting it flood into his work" (Lionello Venturi, Rouault, Lausanne, 1959, pp. 21 and 51).