Pierre Bonnard

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired directly from the artist in 1929)
Alphonse Kann, St. Germain-en-Laye
Seized from the above by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg in November 1940 and transferred to the Jeu de Paume, Paris as Menschen auf der Straße (reference Ka1054)
Restituted to Alphonse Kann, July 11, 1947
Sam Salz, New York
Mary & Leigh B. Block, Chicago (acquired by 1966)
Sakai Gallery, Toyko
Acquired from the above

Paris, Salon d'Automne, 1929
Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art & Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 100 European Paintings and Drawings from the Collection of Leigh B. Block, 1967, no. 26, illustrated in the catalogue (titled Street in Arcachon)

Francine du Plessix Gray, "Collectors: Mary and Leigh Block" in Art in America, 1966, illustrated in color p. 73
Jean Lipman, ed., The Collectors in America, 1969, illustrated in color p. 110
Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, 1920-1939, vol. III, Paris, 1973, no. 1413, illustrated p. 330

The work is in very good condition overall. The canvas is lined. The surface is highly textured. The state of preservation is beautiful. Under UV light, one stroke of inpainting in the sky in the upper left. Otherwise fine.
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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La Promenade des enfants (Arcachon) depicts a busy square in Arcachon, a summer destination on the southwestern coast of France which was popular among artists and the bourgeoisie alike. Bonnard, who frequently vacationed in Arcachon, took joy in observing and painting its beaches and busy streets (see fig. 1). The present composition is dominated by the face of a woman on a walk with her child. Placed in the foreground against a backdrop of carriages and families, the positioning of the figures suggests a chance momentary glimpse rather than a carefully staged ensemble. It is this nonchalance of composition that makes the present work one of Bonnard’s most accomplished street scenes. La Promenade des enfants can in many ways can be interpreted as the absolute synthesis of the Impressionist tradition moving towards absolute modernity. While Impressionist street scenes generally convey an exacting yet fleeting view, Bonnard’s employment of unnaturally saturated colors in the present work conveys emotion, individual perspective and a sense of isolation.