Mrs Kramer
O'Hana Gallery, London
Sale: Maurice Rheims, René G. Laurin, Philippe Rheims, Paris, lot 65
Beny Gattegno, Paris
Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1968)
Sale: Sotheby's, London, 20th June 2005, lot 39
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

(possibly) Paris, Salon d'Automne, 1919
Pittsburgh, Carnegie Institute, Twenty-Fifth Annual International Exhibition of Paintings, 1926, no. 239

Edouard des Courières, 'Van Dongen', in L'Art Vivant, 20th March 1925, illustrated p. 6 (titled Portrait de Mlle Eve Francis)
Edouard des Courières, Van Dongen, Paris, 1925, illustrated pl. 67


To be included in the forthcoming Van Dongen Catalogue raisonné being prepared by Jacques-Chalom des Cordes under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Institute.

The canvas is unlined. There are areas of retouching at all four edges, several spots of retouching in the grey background, and an area of retouching in the figure's right shoulder, visible under ultra-violet light. Apart from a horizontal stretcher mark running across the centre of the canvas, and some stable craquelure in the grey area of the background, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although the dress has a less pink and more red tonality, and the green tones are more pronounced in the original.
"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."

Known as the principal portraitist among the Fauve artists, Van Dongen was a chronicler of the Années Folles and executed portraits inspired by his visits to the cabarets and cafés where dancers performed in exotic costumes, as well as members of high society such as the Aga Khan and King Leopold III of Belgium. It was in this milieu that he would have encountered the Belgian-born actress Ève Francis (1886 -1980), the subject of the present painting, who had moved to Paris to pursue a career in the theatre. Francis is chiefly associated with both the writer Paul Claudel, younger brother of the sculptor Camille Claudel and with whom she was at various times romantically linked, and Louis Delluc, the novelist, poet and playwright whom she married in 1918. It was Francis who encouraged the latter to begin directing films, after producing several of her own with the director Germaine Dulac. Together, they formed part of a wider group of avant-garde film makers whose movement is often referred to as French Impressionist Cinema.


Around the time that the present portrait was painted, Francis had already starred in seven films and was taking leading roles in Delluc's new productions, notably La Femme de nulle part, and also Marcel L'Herbier's acclaimed El Dorado. Her style of acting has been described as 'a balance between mannerism and pose; at its extreme it could be seen as an element of film architecture' (Dictionnaire du cinéma français, sous la direction de Jean-Loup Passek, Paris, 1987, p. 157). She published two books of her own, Temps héroïques: théâtre, cinéma (1949) and Un autre Claudel (1973). Francis died in Paris in 1980, aged 94.