Théo van Rysselberghe

Georges Petit, Paris
Pierre Bobin, France
Henri Le Boeuf, France
Paul Wiringer, Brussels
Sale: Galerie Motte, Geneva, November 27, 1965, lot 88
Sale: Me Blache, Hotel Rameau, Versailles, December 5, 1971
Sale: Christie's, London, March 31, 1981, lot 142
O. Genz, Geneva

La Haye, Exposition internationale, 1901
San Francisco, Exposition universelle, no. 25
Venice, Esposizione Internationale d'Arte della città di Venezia, no. 118
Brussels, Galerie Giroux, Théo Van Rysselberghe, 1922, no. 51, illustrated
Paris, Galerie Druet, Théo Van Rysselberghe, 1923, no. 12, illustrated
Brussels, Galerie Giroux, Rétrospective Théo Van Rysselberghe, 1927, no. 72
Ghent, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rétrospective Théo Van Rysselberghe, 1962, no. 121
Paris, Musée Galliera, 60 Maitres de Renoir à Chagall de 1880 à 1930, 1966

A. Dreyfuss, Kunst für Alle, Munich, 1909, no. XXXVI, pp. 528-538
Théo Van Rysselberghe, Lettres à O. Maus, April 7, 1914
Théo Van Rysselberghe, Lettres à E. Verhaeren, July 17, 1915
A. Mabille de Poncheville, 'Théo Van Rysselberghe' in Gand Artistique, 1926, p. 16
P. Fierens, Théo Van Rysselberghe, Brussels, 1937, p. 29, illustrated pl. 42
 Ronald Feltkamp, Théo Van Rysselberghe, Catalogue Raisonné, Brussels, 2003, no. 1914-001, illustrated p. 407 

Very good condition. Canvas is unlined. Surface retains a rich impasto. Surface is clean. Under UV light, some pigment separation near lower right corner above signature shows inpainting. There are a few touches elsewhere but for a picture of this size, the number of these strokes is surprisingly low. There are a few minor cracks in the red cloth by her feet. Otherwise, surface is stable and picture is ready to hang.
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 alluring Modele au repos, Maud is perhaps the most important work painted by the artist in 1914.  Of the nudes that he painted in the early twentieth century, this work is one of the most spectacular and of the largest in scale.  The finished and vivid quality of  the present oil evidences the apparent pleasure the artist must have had in depicting this intimate scene, while paying hommage to Manet and Velázquez simultaneously.

The image of a nude before a mirror has many precedents in the history of art, and the present composition is a continuation of this theme at the dawning of the 20^th century. Van Rysselberghe's model at her toilette recalls several of Degas' sensual bathers from the Impressionist era, as well as renditions by the Old Masters, including one of the triumphs in the history of art, Olympia by Edouard Manet (Fig. 1).    Van Rysselberghe's nude, however, has been updated for a modern audience and incorporates a stylistic realism that is influenced by photography and eschewed the false modesty that was prevalent in depicting nudes in the nineteenth century.  This picture also shows the development away from the Pointillist technique that van Rysselberghe perfected in the late 1890s.  As opposed to those earlier compositions, which usually depicted seascapes or harbor scenes, the brushwork in the present painting is tighter and more emphatically linear.  This effect is most noticeable when considering the mage of the model, whose alabaster skin appears much more solidly formed than the works he executed in earlier years. Additionally, the sinuous lines and playful incorporation of the reflected breast in the hand mirror display the artist's embrace of the unabashed approach to depicting female sexuality in the new century. 

Fig. 1  Edouard Manet, Olympia, 1863, oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Fig. 2. The artist