Robert Delaunay

Edouard Labouchére, Paris
Private Collection, Paris (by descent from the above)
Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 30th June 1955, lot 79
Private Collection, Paris
Moeller Fine Art, New York (acquired by 1940)
Private Collection, New York
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, 5th November 2009, lot 162
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

London, Arts Council of Great Britain, Robert Delaunay, Catalogue of an exhibition of his paintings, reliefs, drawings & lithographs at the Arts Council Gallery, no. 28
Ottawa, National Gallery of Canada, Robert & Sonia Delaunay, 1965, no. 24, illustrated in the catalogue

Arts, Paris, July 1955, illustrated n.p.
Pierre Francastel & Guy Habesque, Du Cubisme à l'art abstrait: Catalogue de l'oeuvre de Robert Delaunay, Paris, 1957, no. 147 (not illustrated)

The board is stable. UV examination reveals two lines of retouching (approximately 1cm each) to the upper left quadrant and two further lines to the left parts of the upper and lower edges. There are some further spots and lines of retouching, predominantly to the corners. UV light also reveals areas of florescence which pertain to the medium used and the adhesive and do not appear to be retouching, but it should be noted that the painting is difficult to examine definitely under UV light. There are lines of craquelure which have been stabilized to both upper corners and the lower right corner. There are further scattered lines of craquelure, all of which are stable. This work is in overall 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

For Robert Delaunay, colours are the painter's actual language: 'Colour is form and subject.' [...] Delaunay considered the language of colour the most human language imaginable in art. Every human being, he said, is capable of being affected by the universal language of colours, by their play, movement, chords, rhythms - in short, by those arrangements that are especially suited to man's natural inclinations
(Max Imdahl in Gustav Vriesen and Max Imdahl, Robert Delaunay: Light and Colour, New York, 1967, p. 80).