Pierre-Auguste Renoir

James Goodman Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above in 2003

Canvas is lined and the edges are reinforced with tape. Colors are bright and fresh. Under UV light a few pindots of inpainting appear near the extreme upper right corner and along the right edge. There is also one pindot in the large red fruit at right, otherwise fine. 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.

Brilliant and jewel-like still lifes provided Renoir an ever-ready platform for his experimentation with tone and form. Taking direct inspiration from the colors found in nature, Renoir artfully creates a new compositional language in Les Prunes, making the fruits and their material interaction the primordial focus of his work. The artist provides a novel and avant-garde approach to this traditional genre, almost abstracting his depicted subject matter into a celebration of color. Praising the still life for the freedom it offered him in composition and execution, the artist himself once stated: “What seems to me most significant about our movement [Impressionism] is that we have freed painting from the importance of the subject. I am at liberty to paint flowers and call them flowers, without needing to tell a story” (quoted in Peter Mitchell, European Flower Paintings, London, 1973, pp. 211-12).