Henri-Edmond Cross

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune et Cie., Paris

Prince de Wagram, Paris

J. Laroche, Paris

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune et Cie., Paris

A. Sommaruga

Herbert Kullmann, Manchester (sold: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 16 May 1914, lot 4)

Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired at the above sale)

Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York

Mr. & Mrs. William Jaffe, New York (acquired from the above in 1951)

Estate of E.V. Hall Jaffe (sold: Christie's, New York, May 6, 2009, lot 12)

Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune et Cie., Henri Edmond Cross, 1907, no. 1 (titled, Le Cap Nègre)

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune et Cie., Henri Edmond Cross, 1913, no. 44

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune et Cie., Le Paysage du Midi, 1914, no. 4 (illustrated)

New York, Fine Arts Associates, Henri Edmond Cross, 1951, no. 12 (titled, The Hill of Saint-Clair)

New York, Museum of Modern Art; Minneapolis Institute of Arts; San Francisco Museum of Art & Art Gallery of Toronto, Les Fauves, 1952-53, no. 3 (titled Landscape, Le Lavandou)

Paul Jamot, "Exposition H.E. Cross," Chronique des Arts et de la Curiosité, Paris, May 4, 1907, p. 156

Guillaume Apollinaire, Paris-Journal, Paris, May 5, 1914, mentioned

Lucie Cousturier, "H.E. Cross," L'Art Décoratif, Paris, March 1913,  p. 120 (illustrated, p. 125)

L.R., "Notes d'un curieux", Le Gaulois, Paris, May 14 & 17, 1914

"Les grandes ventes. Collection de M. Herbert Kullmann," Le Cri de Paris,  Paris, May 17, 1914, p. 14

Octave Maus, Trente années de lutte pour l'art (1884-1914), Brussels, 1926, illustrated p. 427

Lucie Cousturier, H.E. Cross: Les artistes nouveaux, Paris, 1932, illustrated pl. 18

Jean Leymarie, Le Fauvisme, Geneva, 1959, illustrated in color

Isabelle Compin, H.E. Cross, Paris, 1964, pp. 251-252, illustrated

Félix Fénéon, Oeuvres plus que parfaites, vol. 1,  Genève & Paris, 1970, p. 290

Guillaume Apollinaire, Oeuvres en prose complètes, vol. 2, Paris, 1991, p. 676, 696-700.

Very good condition over all. Original canvas. The impasto of the divisionist application of the paint is beautifully preserved. A thin, vertical ridge in the white sky extending from the mountain appears to be an uneveness in the weave. Under UV, there is an expertly-repaired thin tear, about 8 inches, in the mountain at the left, which is imperceptable in natural light.
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.

In October 1891 Cross left Paris for Cabasson in the south of France.  Shortly afterwards he settled in the small hamlet of Saint-Clair, where he spent the remainder of his life.  Influenced by the luminous Mediterranean landscape, he painted his first divisionist canvases there. Executed in a build-up of short, uniform brushstrokes of brilliant hues, Paysage avec le Cap Nègre resembles a carefully composed mosaic of shimmering colors.  The tonal variations and juxtapositions in the present work recreate the vibrant, dazzling atmosphere of the Côte d’Azur that became a major source of inspiration for the artist.