Henri Laurens

terracotta
length: 42cm.
Conceived in 1926 and cast in terracotta in an edition of 6.

Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris
A. Thustrup, Djursholm
Acquired from the above

Henri Laurens (exhibition catalogue), Musée national du Grand Palais, Paris, 1967, no. 131, illustration of another cast
Henri Laurens, Skulpturen, Zeichnungen, Druckgraphik, Buchillustration 1905-1954 (exhibition catalogue), Haus am Waldersee, Berlin, 1967, no. 131, illustration of another cast
Henri Laurens, 1895-1954 (exhibition catalogue), The Hayward Gallery, London, 1971, no. 20, illustration of another cast

There are small chips to the edges of the base consistent with age and handling. There is an area of discreet restoration to the upper part of the drapery. There is some surface dirt; this work could benefit from a light clean.
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.

Conceived in 1926, Femme couchée à la draperie marks a significant point of transition for Laurens. The austere precision demanded by Laurens’ early Cubist style was abandoned in the 1920s as the artist sought to inject more expressiveness into his work. Along with his friends Braque and Gris, Laurens began to explore a type of Cubism that retained key elements of the style but incorporated greater naturalism; angular compositions are softened by the introduction of flowing forms, giving his sculpture a new sensuality. Femme couchée à la draperie retains the angularity characteristic of Cubism, yet the presented form is infused with fluidity and offers the viewer a very sensual pose—that of an odalisque, the traditional nineteenth-century motif, or something even earlier, as Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler describes: ‘‘Each of Laurens’ works is a consistent, integral whole, but at the same time it is imbued with a gentle sensuousness. His art is very French; its graceful, flowing forms remind me of the sixteenth-century sculptor Jean Goujon’’ (quoted in Werner Hofmann, The Sculpture of Henri Laurens, New York, 1970, p. 50).