Ragnar Moltzau, Oslo

Zurich, Kunsthaus, 1957, no. 25
The Hague, Gemeentemuseum, 1957, no. 26
Edinburgh, The Edinburgh Festival, 1958, no. 29
Paris, Galerie Fanny Guillon-Lafaille, Dufy, 2007, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Fanny Guillon-Lafaille, Raoul Dufy, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Geneva, 1976, vol. III, no. 1051, illustrated p. 98

This work is in excellent condition. This work is unlined, and the surface is clean. Under UV, one dot of inpainting in the lower left, otherwise the work is 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.

Scène de moisson belongs to a whole series of works on rus💜tic themes which the artist painted in 1945. The village farms, their farmyards and granaries became Dufy's favorite motifs during this period. In the little village of Lestelle, in the depths of the countryside, he made numerous watercolors, sketches and drawings of the area. Captivated by the human activity of a harvester carrying out his tasks with good humor, Dufy rendered the dynamic scene in quick brushstrokes, accentuated by the variation of light grey and cream tones and strong reds, blues and yellows. 

The present work is a remarkable example of the bright palette Dufy mastered during the 1940s, with the vivid turquoise and yellow tones in the foreground forming a dynamic contrast with the red chimney and the shed. As the artist himself remarked, "In spreading a local colour over all the canvas, I neutralise the object and this colour no longer personifies such and such an object. Thus for the other elements of the painting, I free myself from the restraint of imitation and the field is clear for the imagination of colour" (quoted in Sargy Mann (ed.), Raoul Dufy (exhibition catalogue), J.P.L. Fine Arts, London, 1987, p. 3). Startling in composition as well as in palette, Scène de moisson presents a wonderful balance of colors injected by lines of speed and precision, imbuing the painting with the immediacy and joie de vivre characteristic of the artist's finest work.