BASIL RAKOCZI | Market Day, Gorbio

Collection of Jacqueline Robinson, from whom purchased by the present owner in 1991

Clandeboye, Adams, The White Stag Group, October - November 2011, no.53 (loaned by the present owner)

The board appears sound and the work in good overall condition. Under ultraviolet light there appear to be no signs of retouching. Held under glass in a wood frame with a linen inset; unexamined out of frame.
"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."

In the present painting Basil Rakoczi perhaps comes closest to paying homage to the English modernist Christopher Wood, whose work the artist would have been familiar with through Lucy Wertheim's exhibitions. Wood visited Brittany in 1929 and produced a celebrated series of paintings of the coastal towns and local life with his distinct aesthetic, such as Dancing Sailors, Brittany or Drying Nets, Treboul. Although the present painting is situated in the south of France, it embodies the spirit of Wood with its playful sense of movement and lively incised brushwork (compare also lot 6). It was painted after the Second World War when Rakoczi left Ireland and headed alone to France, heralding a change in style and subject-matter.