AUGUSTE HERBIN | Roses et cerises

Galerie de l'Effort Moderne (Léonce Rosenberg), Paris Acquired by the present owner before 1994

Geneviève Claisse, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint d'Auguste Herbin, Paris, 1993, no. 285, illustrated p. 329

The canvas is not lined. UV examination reveals a small spot of retouching to one of the green leaves at the upper part of the left edge. There are some fine lines of craquelure in places and some paint shrinkage to some of the red, green, and black pigments. There is some frame abrasion to the extreme upper edge with some associated tiny paint losses. There are a few tiny scattered paint losses within the composition, the most prominent of which is to a line of black pigment to the centre of the lower left quadrant. 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."

Executed in 1912, Roses et cerises is an iconic example of Auguste Herbin’s Cubist work. Three years earlier Herbin had taken up residence at the infamous Bateau-Lavoir where he met Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Juan Gris, key exponents of the movement who introduced him to their innovative visual lexicon. Herbin participated in the Salon de la Section d’Or in 1912, a ground-breaking exhibition by a broader group of Cubist artists beyond the Montmartre circle; as the name of the group suggests, these artists looked to the underlying mathematical theorems and geometric principles of Pythagoras and da Vinci. A critical year for the French Cubists, 1912 also saw the publication by Jean Metzinger and Albert Gleizes of Du Cubisme, the most comprehensive survey to date of the theories and aims of the movement. In the present still life, Herbin fuses the bright colours of his earlier Fauve work with the sombre palette of browns and dark greens that characterised early Cubist painting. The energetic arcs, spheres and geometric elements are characteristic of his dynamic canvases from this period which positioned him as a pioneer of the synthetic form of Cubism. Roses et cerises was owned by Léonce Rosenberg at the Galerie de l'Effort Moderne in Paris. Rosenberg, the Parisian collector, dealer and publicist, opened his gallery in January 1918 and for some years after the First World War was the leading force in promoting avant-garde and Cubist art.