Durand-Ruel, Paris
Collection Altaribba, Paris
Galerie Drouet, Paris
Private Collection since circa 1960s

Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Émile Bernard, époque de Pont-Aven, 1959, no. 10
New York, The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Gauguin and the Decorative Style, 1966 

John Rewald, Post-Impressionism From Van Gogh to Gauguin, New York, 1956, illustrated p. 202
Wladyslawa Jaworska, Paul Gauguin et l'ecole de Pont-Aven, Neuchâtel, 1971, illustrated p. 55
Jean-Jacques Luthi, Emile Bernard, Catalogue raisonné de ''oeuvre peint, Paris, 1982, no. 138. illustrated p. 27

This charming picture is unfortunately in uneven condition and any interested party should be well aware that although very few retouches are visible under ultraviolet light, there has been a considerable campaign of earlier restoration which is mostly clearly visible to the naked eye. At some point the original canvas shrunk and numerous paint losses associated with this shrinkage have been filled and loosely restored. Upon close visual inspection, these losses are clearly visible, for instance if one focuses on the shoulder of the figure the fillings are clearly visible and have only been slightly retouched. It is our opinion that the kind of restoration visible in the lower right exists more or less throughout the entire picture. While it is certainly true that this beautiful picture will improve considerably given the right attention, one can never deny that the condition is unfortunately weak. This report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation.
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.

Emile Bernard's relationship with the Schuffenecker family dates from his initial meeting with Claude-Emile at Concarneau, in the end of July 1886. During this period, Schuffenecker and Bernard established a great friendship, though 🍰depicting the warmth of that relationship is not apparently the main goal of the present work, which focuses instead on Schuffenecker's studious contemplation of a bucolic Pont-Aven landscape, possibly painted by Bernard.  As pointed out by the scholar who compiled the catalogue raisonné of Bernard's work, 'Emile Bernard 'interprets' a lot more than he 'represents' his sitters" (Jean-Jacques Luthi, op. cit., p. 26).

In the years just preceding the execution of the present work, 1886-1887, Bernard was at the forefront of a decorative, anti-naturalistic style called Cloisonnism, chaꦓracterized by flattened areas of pure color, circumscribed by strong black outlines, with its visual suggestion of the enamelled metalwork known as cloisonné.  Vincent Van Gogh, a close friend by the mid-1880s, admired his Cloisonnist portraits and Van Gogh and Bernard started a lively correspondence.  Through his friendship with Van Gogh, Bernard was exposed to Japanese prints, which were also championed by Van Gogh for their flattened frieze-like bands of color, and strong black outlines.

Through Claude-Emile Schuffenecker's introduction, Emile Bernard also met Gauguin, who became a profound influence and led him to the small idyllic town of Pont-Aven, where Gauguin welcomed many artists who came to see him there between 1𓆏886 and 1894, when he sailed for Tahiti.  Gauguin and Bernard met for the second time in Pont-Aven in the summer of 1888; Gauguin was 40 and Bernard was only 20, and ready to receive the more established artist's wisdom and guidance.  Both artists were in regular contact with Van Gogh that summer, exchanging ideas and sending him their portraits of each other, each whimsically painted in the background of self portraits (see Figs. 1 and 2).

In 1889, Schuffenecker was primarily responsible for arranging the seminal Café Volpini exhibition to which he, Gauguin, Bernard and others contributed.  Later, Schuffenecker would continue to act as an important friend to Bernard, providing him with psychological support during his emotional crisis of 1890-91, and during his extended exile from the mainstream of critical artistic acclaim (Mary Anne Stevens, Emile Bernard 1868-1941: A Pioneer of Modern Art, Amsterdam, 1990, no. 57, illustrated p. 202).

Fig. 1, Emile Bernard, Self-Portrait with Portrait of Gauguin, 1888, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Fig. 2, Paul Gauguin, Self-portrait with Portrait of Bernard (Les Misérables), 1888, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam