Kees van Dongen

Galerie Kahnweiler, Paris
Private Collection (and sold: Christie's, New York, May 13, 1998, lot 368)
Acquired at the above sale

Paris, Musée de Montmartre; Takasaki, Musée Municipal, Montmartre et les peintres, 1994

This painting has recently been restored and should be hung as is. The canvas has never been removed from its original stretcher. The paint layer is clean and there is a slight gloss to the pigment in the darkest blues, but the remainder seems to be dry and unvarnished. Under ultraviolet light there are some retouches along the bottom of the right edge and also on the right side of the bottom edge. Elsewhere, there are two small retouches in the blue hat above the head, another in the ankle of the left leg and another in the blue background beneath the right elbow. However, despite some areas, also in the blue hat, fluorescing slightly darker under UV light, there appear to be no further retouches. The above condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
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 shortly after Van Dongen's first exhibition with the Fauves at the Salon d'Automne, La femme à la toilette is a fine example of the artist's striking female portraits from his early career. This energetic depiction of a woman at her dressing table dates from the most important period in Van Dongen's oeuvre, when he introduced some of his greatest models.  Unlike the other Fauve painters such as Matisse and Derain, who depicted the sunlit coast of southern France, Van Dongen found inspiration in city life.  It was Parisian night-life and the artificial lights of the circus and the concert-halls, rather than nature and open spaces, that excited him.

In the present work, the woman's dramatic black stockings and hat are typical of the artist's portraits of the Fauve period, in which the sitters are often conveyed with vibrant modernity and intensity.  The artist was fascinated by costumes and ornaments, and often his female figures are embellished with oversized hats.  In the present work, the hat and dressing table suggest that this sitter might be a member of high society, rather than a cabaret performer.  The figure's identity, however, remains obscure, as Van Dongen's primary interest lay in the feminine allure of her figure.  The subtlety of the woman's pale skin and white slip are accentuated by her black hat, stockings, and vibrant blue outline.  The green strokes highlighting her shoulder and arm demonstrate the artist's disregard for naturalistic representation, in favor of depicting the physicality and sensual presence of his sitter.   

Fig. 1 The artist's studio