Kees van Dongen

Private Collection

Work is in excellent condition. Executed on cream wove paper. Sheet is taped to a window mat along the upper edge on the verso. There is some minor undulation to the sheet as a natural result of the medium. There are a few very minor stains to the sheet at the lower left and upper right corners. Otherwise fine; the colors are extremely bright and fresh and there is very little (if any) fading to the sheet.
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.

This elegant portrait of a woman from circa 1907 perfectly exemplifies Kees van Dongen's love for the exotic. Depicted wearing an extravagant mantilla decorated in an aggressively sensual palette of unmixed colors, the woman in the present work demonstrates the exoticism that characterized many of van Dongen's Fauvist portraits.

Writing about van Dongen's portraits of women from this period, Marcel Giry has noted: "...we are struck by the extraordinary chromatic subtlety which goes far beyond Van Dongen's earlier accomplishments...The determination to emphasize the plastic values on the model is the second characteristic of these works which extol [the model's] sensual beauty...'I exteriorize my desires,' [van Dongen] said, 'by expressing them in pictures.  I love anything that glitters, precious stones that sparkle, fabrics the shimmer, beautiful women who arouse carnal desire...painting lets me possess all this most fully'" (Marcel Giry, Fauvism, Fribourg, 1981, pp. 24-26).

 

Fig. 1 Kees van Dongen, Maria, 1907-10, oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York