André Lhote

Georg Pauli, Sweden (acquired directly from the artist)
Sale: Bukowski's, Stockholm, December 3, 1975, lot 58
Acquired at the above sale and thence by descent

Paris, Salon d'Automne, 1911, no. 946

This work is in very good condition. The canvas is unlined. There are a few minor dents in the upper right and center right of the canvas. Under UV light some small strokes of inpainting are visible between the masts of the boats in the lower right, along the extreme edges and a few scattered pin dots of retouching throughout.
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.

Hung alongside Cubist masterworks by Fernand Léger, Albert Gleizes and Jean Metzinger at the Salon d’Automne in 1911, Port de Bordeaux was painted at a pivotal moment not only in the career of André Lhote, but also in the history of Cubism and is arguably the most important work by the artist ever to appear at auction (see fig. 1). Arriving to Paris from Bordeaux in 1906, the young painter played witness to the great retrospective exhibitions of Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne. The presentation of the full artistic achievement of these two great pioneers of the modern age, especially Cézanne, provided a source model for his stylistic development, just as it did for fellow Cubist artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. The exposure to these models helped to develop Lhote’s works from a largely Fauvist style to one in which geometric patterns were used to distill form from the natural world. Following his first solo exhibition at Galerie Druet in 1910, Lhote showed works to the 1911 Salon des Independants in the room adjoining the famed Salle 41 where Cubism made its first public appearance. While Lhote would continue to exhibit with Cubist artists through 1914, and he is often considered a member of the movement based on his theoretical conceptions of form, he transcends the rigid constraints of traditional Cubism in order to develop a highly theoretical and distinctive style according to his own subjective vision. 

In Port de Bordeaux Lhote has maintained his unique pictorial style of Cubism, putting forward his triumphant, spontaneous vision that incorporates his early interest in Fauve coloration with Cubist ideas of form—the precise, unmodulated color within his palette, albeit softened, is painted with a superb sensitivity while the bold play of lines and superimpositions, a complex system of interacting planes and geometricised figurative elements, provide an inventiveness to the formal construct. Bursting with energy, this work depicts the bustling port of his hometown in a dramatic composition, reworking Cubist codes to create a lively quality uniquely his own.