Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired directly from the artist on October 11, 1911)
Carl Reininghaus, Vienna (acquired from the above on June 17, 1913)
Dr. Albert Charpentier, Paris
Wildenstein & Co., New York (acquired after 1954)
Private Collection, California (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, November 11, 1999, lot 219)
Acquired at the above sale

Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1903-1910, vol. IV, Paris, 2012, no. 2766, illustrated p. 65

The canvas has been lined. There are four pindot losses to the pigment along the extreme left edge, possibly from a prior frame abrasion. The surface is slightly dirty, but overall the pigments are bright and fresh. The surface is nicely textured. Under UV light, there are some strokes of inpainting in the background along the upper register, along the right side and along the left side, as well as in the white pigments below the fruit. The 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.

A vibrant still life with fruit is the subject of Renoir's richly-painted composition from circa 1910, Nature morte aux pommes et grenade. By this point in his career, Renoir could paint at leisure, no longer heavily dependent on client commissions or the expectations of his dealers. Women and still-lifes occupied his production during these later years, when the pursuit of beauty was his first and foremost artistic priority.

The present work, which depicts an arrangement of apples and an exotic pomegranate, belies a consciousness of Renoir's contemporaries and the leanings of the avant-garde at this important moment in history. The methodical arrangement of the pictorial elements calls to mind the still lifes of Paul Cézanne (see fig. 1), whose exploration of geometry and spatial perspective would change the direction of modern art. Renoir has similarly concentrated on the relationships among heavy cylindrical outlines of the apples, while remaining true to the softness and fluidity of his Impressionist palette. 

This work will be included in the forthcoming Renoir Digital Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc.