HENRI MATISSE | Portrait de femme

Albert Skira, Lausanne (acquired from the artist)
Evelyn Aimis Fine Art, Florida
Acquired from the above on February 11, 2010

This work is in excellent condition. Executed on an artist's prepped board. The work is hinged to a window mat. Some very minor studio staining. The medium is well preserved. Some extremely minor staining to the extreme edges of the sheet.
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.

Albert Skira founded Editions Skira in Lausanne in 1928 with a grandiose ambition—to commission great artists to illustrate the best in literature. Henri Matisse was involved with one of the earliest publications in 1932, producing 29 etchings for Stéphane Mallarmé’s Poésies. In the 1930s Skira opened an office in Paris, which became a hub for the city’s leading artists and the Surrealists in particular. During World War II Skira’s activity inevitably dipped, but in 1948 the publisher celebrated its twentieth anniversary and Matisse designed the cover of its corresponding catalogue: the head of a woman that would later become Skira’s unofficial logo (see fig. 1). Skira’s vision of quality reproductions and scholarly essays saw the publisher’s fine art books achieve successes internationally and the company today still produces catalogues across the world.

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by the late Wanda de Guébriant.