Marie Laurencin

Galerie Paul Rosenberg, Paris
Georges Bénard, Paris (sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 9th June 1933, lot 46)
Acquired by the present owner in the 1950s

Tokyo, Mitsukoshi Gallery & Osaka, Daïmaru Museum (& travelling in Japan), Marie Laurencin, 1984-85, no. 32, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Marcel Jouhandeau, Marie Laurencin, Paris, 1928, illustrated pl. XXX
Daniel Marchesseau, Marie Laurencin, Catalogue Raisonné de l'Œuvre Peint, Japan, 1986, no. 415, illustrated p. 196 

The canvas is not lined. There are some small areas of retouching along all four extreme edges of the work, and a very fine line of retouching running along the central part of the right edge, about 8mm in from the extreme edge. These are visible under UV light. There is some circular craquelure to the torso of the figure on the left and some further areas of craquelure in places. Otherwise, this work is in overall good condition. Colours: Fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, but very slightly less saturated 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. 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."

Clarence J. Bulliet, the influential art critic of the Chicago Evening Post, summarized Laurencin's position in the art world in 1930. She had 'caught something from Picasso's Blue Period—something that filtered through from Botticelli—and developed it into the most original and delicately feminine art the world has ever known.' He identified her feminine touch as a continuation of the tradition of Vigée Le Brun and Berthe Morisot. Bulliet also compared Laurencin to Mary Cassatt whose brush strokes were 'almost challengingly masculine' despite her fondness for painting children. Bulliet explained that many critics failed to recognize Laurencin's genius because her delicacy is misinterpreted 'as mere triviality'. Instead, he was convinced that her delicacy and her whimsicality were the source of her refreshing originality (Douglas K.S. Hyland & Heather McPherson, Marie Laurencin: Artist and Muse, Birmingham, 1989, p. 70).

 

 

 

IMAGE ID: 121L11007_649HV_COMP
The artist in her studio circa 1952