LÉONARD TSUGUHARU FOUJITA | Deux jeunes femmes et un vase de fleurs (Deux femmes)

Private Collection
Galerie Pierre-Yves Gabus, Geneva
Acquired from the above by the present owner 

Sylvie & Dominique Buisson, Léonard-Tsuguharu Foujita, Paris, 2001, vol. II, no. 18.73, illustrated p. 162

Executed on a very thin sheet of laid paper, not laid down, and hinged to the mount along the upper edge. There are two paper losses to the extreme left edge and one to the left part of the extreme lower edge, all of which have been supported with a fibrous restorer's tape, and none of which are visible when framed. There is a nail-sized hole to the centre of the upper left quadrant, just at the end of the sitting figure's fingertip. There are a few miniature abrasions and scratches to the surface of the watercolour in places, through which the gold leaf shows. The sheet is very gently undulated in places due to the application of the medium. 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."

One year after Foujita’s arrival in Paris, France was struck down by war. The following few years would prove hugely challenging, on both a national and a personal level. Foujita could no longer rely upon the support of his family in Japan; he had to survive on his own. He embarked upon a bohemian lifestyle in Paris alongside Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, Andre Derain, Ossip Zadkine, Jules Pascin, Chaim Soutine and many others who like him were struggling to make ends meet. Modigliani was his closest companion. The Italian artist’s lover, Jeanne, introduced Foujita to Fernande Barrey; Barrey and Foujita married in 1917. It is most probably this close alliance that subliminally compelled Foujita towards a style evoking Italian Madonnas, enveloped in gold leaf. Concurrently, the graceful and naïve expressions of Foujita’s subjects evoke the courtesans as presented in Japanese prints, which Foujita was particularly fond of at this time.

It is reported that for three hours straight, Picasso studied and admired Foujita’s works when they were exhibited at Galerie Chéron in June 1917: some 110 watercolours sold on the opening night.

The style exhibited in the present work is utterly unique, a sensitive balance between the traditions of the Orient and the Occident. It really was the year 1917 that marked the ascendancy of the truly distinctive and magnificent Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita.

Madame Sylvie Buisson
Translated from the French