Édouard Vuillard

The artist's estate
Private Collection, Paris
Sale: Palais de Orsay, Paris, June 21, 1978, lot 92 
Acquired at the above sale

Antoine Salomon & Guy Cogeval, Vuillard, The Inexhaustable Glance, Critical Catalogue of Paintings and Pastels, vol. III, Paris, 2003, no. XI-57, illustrated p. 1327

Canvas is not lined and its edges are reinforced with tape. There are a few minor scuffs along the extreme edges of the canvas. In addition, there is some very minor cracking in a few of the thickest pigments, mostly in the lower register. Under UV light: no inpainting is apparent. Overall the work is in excellent condition.
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 present work is a stunning example of Vuillard's celebrated lyricism. Painted in 1925, it depicts two women and a child sitting at a table in the beautiful garden of the Hessel family's house at Vaucresson, the Clos Cézanne. Jos Hessel was Vuillard's dealer at Bernheim-Jeune, but also a lifelong friend: he spent many a happy summer with him and his lively wife Lucie. Vuillard was of course famous for painting the people that surrounded him, and indeed Lucie became something of a favorite muse for the artist. In these post-war years, the artist eschewed fashionable Normandy as a countryside bolthole, in favor of Vaucresson. The Hessels soon followed suit, first renting and finally buying the house and garden of the present work. The name of the house was a delightful acknowledgement to the sale of a Cézanne that had hung in the Hessels' Paris dining room, whose funds allowed them to buy the property.

Although Vuillard is perhaps most famous for his paintings of richly decorated Parisian interiors, his paintings at Vaucresson have an elegance of their own. The landscape of the area thrilled him and "the rich vegetation of Vaucresson" had become "a real lost paradise that he had, miraculously, ended up re-inventing" (A. Salomon & G. Cogeval, 2003, op. cit., p. 1296). For Vuillard, the Clos Cézanne represented a real haven and was a place filled with happy memories; the present work, with its sunny palette and whimsical atmosphere, is a celebration of such a sentiment. Its impressive size makes for an almost immersive visual experience, one where the viewer is actively invited into this charmed scene of leisure and calm. The wind in the trees adds a wistful dynamism to the scene; the swirling forms of the branches nodding to the decorative wallpapers that dominate his interior scenes. Even outside, it seems that Vuillard hangs onto his passion for pattern and detail.