Gallery Kunsthandel Goudstikker, Amsterdam
Gallery Kunsthandel M. L. deBoer, Amsterdam
Acquired from the above by the🐭 present owner in 1979

Amsterdam, Kunsthandel J. Goudstikker, Het Stillevens, 1933, no. 83
Amsterdam, Kunsthandel M. L. de Boer, Stillevens van Renoir tot heden, 1979, no. 33 

Good condition. Original canvas. Rich impasto in blossoms that is well preserved. Layer of varnish on surface. Some light craquelure in purple pigments at bottom. Under UV light, some fluorescing in purple pigments at bottom that suggests retouching has been done to address craquelure. Otherwise, fine.
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.

Roses epitomizes the vibrant palette of Van Dongen's Fauvist works and provides a unique approach to the traditional still-life genre. Roses erupt from a vase and dominate the canvas, transforming a typically unassuming subject into a dynamic composition. Paint is applied in thick brushstrokes and color assumes an expressive and highly charged quality. The artist has balanced the bursts of color in the upper half of the picture plane with the deep purple of the table top. The highly saturated hues Van Dongen employs in Roses reflect his affiliation with the Fauves. According to Denys Sutton, "The artist's break-through occurred at a time when Fauvism was the dominant style in France...In 1904 Van Dongen was in touch with two of its principal exponents - Derain and Vlaminck. A good deal of critical ink has been spilled over the question whether or not Van Dongen may be considered as one of the founders of this effective and ebullient style...In the final analysis the question is not all that relevant. What is important is that he was a painter who found a natural means of expression in the use of thickly applied color - bold stark reds, greens and blues, colors which, he once pointed out, held for him an almost symbolical meaning" (William E. Steadman and Denys Sutton, Cornelius Theodorus Marie Van Dongen (exhibition catalogue), Tucson,ౠ Ariz🔯ona, 1971, pp. 20-28).

Van Dongen was little known to the public as a painter until his contribution to the sensational Salon d'Automne of 1905 brought him popular acclaim. By 1908, van Dongen's paintings had begun to receive widespread recognition. For a brief time, he was represented by the renowned dealer Daniel Henry Kahnweiler, who organized exhibitions of his work in Düsseldorf and Paris. Later that year, he was taken up by the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, which represented many of the most prominent artists of the twentieth century, including Bonnard, Matisse, and Modigliani. Van Dongen's predilection for bold color and energetic compositions also prompted the artists' group Die Br🤪ücke to invite him to exhibit in a show of their work in Germany.

In Roses, the color is deployed freely, the contrasts are sharp – it is, as in his earlier Fauvist manner, a vibrant pictorial interpretation of the visual reality of the still life. According to Marcel Giry, "In fact, it can be said that all three painters [Bonnard, Matisse, and Marquet] were motivated by a desire to rearrange the perceptible world, adding their own lyrical note, and that their technique was the same in each case, consisting of the vigorous application of pure colors...Van Dongen, however, breaks down some of his colors under the influence of light in order to suggest the enveloping atmosphere" (Marcel Giry, Fauvism: Origins and Development, New York, 1981, p. 84). 

Fig 1. Kees van Do♉ngen🐻 at Deauville, 1938