Paul Gauguin

Daniel George van Beuningen, Vierhouten

Mme Daniel George van Beuningen (acquired from the above)

A.E. van Beuningen-Charlouis, Rotterdam

Private Collection, Switzerland

Acquired from the above

Rotterdam, Boymans Museum, 1949 (on loan)

Paris, Petit Palais, Chefs-d'oeuvre de la collection Van Beuningen, 1952, no. 183

Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Musée départemental Maurice Denis, 1994-2011 (on loan)

Liège, Salle St Georges, Gauguin, Les XX et La Libre Esthétique, 1994-95, no. 6, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Dr. Dirk Hannema, Catalogue of the D.G. van Beuningen Collection, Rotterdam, 1949, no. 139, illustrated pl. 189

Georges Wildenstein, Gauguin, Paris, 1964, no. 156, illustrated p. 58

Daniel Wildenstein, Gauguin. Premier itinéraire d'un sauvage, Catalogue de l'œuvre peint (1873-1888), vol. I, Paris, 2001, no. 200, illustrated p. 235

Very good condition. The canvas has been lined. Examination under UV light reveals no evidence of retouching. There are very minor scattered spots of flouorescence, notably in the pink pigment in the lower right quadrant and along the upper right edge. Apart from a small cluster of three 0.3cm-squared spots of paint loss just under the furthermost branch of the right-most tree, this work is in very good 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.

Gauguin's depiction of this handsome willow tree dates from the prime of the official Impressionist movement in the mid-1880s.     Unlike the Impressionists themselves, Gauguin's vision extended beyond subjects of Parisian modern culture and the glory of French agricultural productivity -- a vision which would ultimately define the post-Impressionist movement and take him further afield in the later years of his career.  In 1885, however, he was living with his in-laws in Denmark and later with his son in France, making a meagre living as both a salesman for a canvas manufacturer and as a painter.  Judging from his subjects of this period, we can see his escapist inclinations beginning to develop, as his painting focuses on the natural world, free from the anxiety of modern European life.   While the plein-air subject and brushwork in this picture is typical of the Impressionist style and shows the influence that Camille Pissarro had on the artist's painting at this time, Gauguin's palette of rich greens, blues and orange points towards the colors that would dominate his pictures of Tahiti in the 1890s. 

The first owner of this picture was Daniel George van Beuningen (1877-1955), heir to the Coal Trade Association (SHV), the largest employer at the port in Rotterdam.  Van Beuningen's collection of late fifteenth and early sixteenth century Dutch painting was donated during his lifetime to the museum housing the collection of Frans Jacob Otto Boymans (1767-1847), effectively expanding the institution to the Museum Boymans van Beuningen, as it is known today.