Odilon Redon

Charles Hayem (acquired directly from the artist in 1886)
Robert de Domecy, France (acquired by 1923)
Sale: Drouot-Montaigne, Paris, June 2, 1988, lot 47
The Ian Woodner Family Collection, New York (acquired at the above sale)
Gift of the Ian Woodner Family Collection in 2000

Tokyo, The National Museum of Modern Art; Kobe, The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art; Nagoya, Aichi Prefectural Art Gallery, Odilon Redon, 1989, no. 141, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Barcelona, Museu Picasso; Madrid, Fundación Juan March; Memphis, The Dixon Gallery & Gardens; Lausanne, Fondation de l'Hermitage, Odilon Redon, The Ian Woodner Family Collection, 1989-90, no. 10, illustrated in color in the catalogue

André Mellerio, Le mouvement idéaliste en peinture, Paris, 1923, illustrated p. 62
Roseline Bacou, Odilon Redon, Phantasie und Farbe, Cologne, 1964, no. 66
Gazette de l'Hôtel Drouot, April 29, 1988, illustrated in color
Alec Wildenstein, Odilon Redon, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint et dessiné, vol. I, Paris, 1994, no. 447, illustrated p. 179

Oil on paper mounted on panel. The paper has lifted slightly in an area towards the center of the figure's face. There are some very minor surface scuffs scattered throughout the work. The surface is somewhat dirty and studio stains are visible throughout. Overall the work is in good condition. Under UV light: a number of scattered pindot retouches fluoresce along the top edge towards the extreme upper left corner. There is a one inch vertical stroke of inpainting in the upper left quadrant. Pigments at all four corners fluoresce but these appear to be 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.
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 was painted in 1882, when Odilon Redon was still struggling for acceptance in the Parisian art world.  While often misunderstood by his contemporaries, the artist was to become a master to future generations of painters, including the Belgian group Les XX and the Nabis in France. Perhaps one of the earliest champions of Redon's work was the critic Emile Hennequin. Hennequin wrote in the March 4, 1882 Revue Artistique et Littéraire that: "From now on M. Odilon Redon should be considered one of our masters...an outstanding master who, aside from Goya, has neither ancestor nor follower...This work is bizarre; it touches the grandiose, the delicate, the subtle, the perverse, the angelic...It contains a treasure of dreams and suggestions..." (quoted in John Rewald, Studies in Post-Impressionism, New York, 1986, p. 216).