Private Collection, France (acquired circa 1930s)

Paul Pétridès, L'oeuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo, vol. I, Paris, 1962, no. 346, catalogued p. 412, illustrated p. 413
Jean Fabris & Cédric Paillier, L'oeuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo, vol. I, Paris, 2009, no. 463, illustrated p. 514

Work is in good condition. Canvas has been lined. Surface is clean. Tape is visible along extreme upper edge. Under UV light: four small dots of inpainting in sky, 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.

In 1913, Maurice Utrillo travelled with his mother, the artist and model Suzanne Valadon, and stepfather André Utter to the island of Corsica, the famed birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte off the southern coast of France. Utrillo rarely ventured far from Paris, with the exception of a trip to Brittany one year earlier and frequent internments in a Sannois sanitarium as a result 🍷of his devastating alcoholism. Indeed, what appears to be a fairly typical sort of family vacation to Corsica may in fact have been designed with Utrillo's convalescence in mind. It is evident that while in Corsica Utrillo was completely clear-minded and immensely productive. On the cusp between his celebrated White Period and subsequent colorist phase, Utrillo found an ideal subject in the white stucco walls and red tilܫed roofs of Corsican architecture, and completed roughly ten major oils during his short stay. This series, of which the present work is perhaps the grandest and most striking, represents a unique moment in Utrillo's prolific oeuvre at the peak of his genius.