Georges Rouault

Galerie Fabien Boulakia, Paris
Acquired from the above in 1977 and thence by descent

Munich, Haus der Kunst, Georges Rouault, 1974, no. 46
London, Arts Council of Great Britain & Manchester, City Art Galleries, G. Rouault, 1871-1958, 1974, no. 31

Bernard Dorival & Isabelle Rouault, Rouault, L’Oeuvre peint, vol. II, Monte Carlo, 1988, no. 1278, illustrated p. 38

This work is in excellent condition. Executed on cream colored laid paper, the edges of the sheet are deckled, the sheet is t-hinged in two places at the upper corners on the verso. The perimeter of the verso is reinforced with tape. The sheet is slightly undulating throughout as a result of the thickly applied medium. There are artist's pin holes on the extreme left and right edges and the colors are extremely bright and fresh. The verso is variously inscribed in yellow chalk: '[majority illegible]... XIX qui donc se connait'.
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.
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Executed in 1930, Carmencita belongs to a group of portraits by Rouault depicting dancers, circus performers, lawyers and other members of public society. Unlike Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec, who portrayed these individuals with pathos, Rouault's approach was unapologetic and raw. Although Rouault was not a formal member of the Fauve movement, he did embrace its primary tenet in his incorporation of an exaggerated palette. In the present work, several layers of pigment can be discerned, the build-up of paints creating a three-dimensionality that characterizes Rouault's strongest oeuvre. Furthermore, the work is highlighted by the deep swaths of black ink delineating the subject, representing a signature element of Rouault’s portraiture of this period. Pierre Courthion aptly writes, "When we examine a Rouault, what strikes us first? Above all, the way the paint has been applied: very thickly and with passion, with great sureness, and with spontaneity...the thickly applied pigment achieves a hitherto unknown degree of energy; every form seems to flow directly from the artist's hand into our own sensibility" (Pierre Courthion, Georges Rouault, New York, 1961, p. 234).