Galerie Paul Pétridès, Paris (acquired from the artist in the 1960s)
Ellen Melas Kyriazi, Lausanne (acquired from the above)
Private Collection (and sold: Christie's, London, June 27, 1988, lot 29)
Gallery Sakai, Tokyo
Acquired from the above

Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Van Dongen, 1949, no. 19 (as dating from 1898 and titled Deux Femmes)
Paris, Musée Nationale d'Art Moderne & Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Van Dongen, 1967-68, no. 25
Paris, Grand Palais, Van Dongen, 1972, no. 5
Saint Tropez, Musée de l'Annonciade & Toulouse, Réfectoire des Jacobins, Kees van Dongen, 1877-1968, 1985, no. 8, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario (on loan 1984-88)

Jean M. Kyriazi, Van Dongen et le Fauvisme, Lausanne, 1971, no. 29, illustrated p. 75
Kees van Dongen (exhibition catalogue), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 1990, illustrated p. 20
Van Dongen, Le Peintre (exhibition catalogue), Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, 1990, illustrated in a photograph p. 36
Kees van Dongen (exhibition catalogue), Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, Monte Carlo, 2008, illustrated p. 154
Kees Van Dongen (exhibition catalogue), Museu Picasso, Barcelona, 2009, illustrated in a photograph p. 174

The canvas is lined. Apart from some very minor spots of retouching on the left thigh of the girl on the right and one tiny spot of retouching between the legs of the girl on the left, visible under ultra-violet light, this work is in very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although slightly less red 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.
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.

Deux nus aux ballons was painted in 1905, the same year Kees van Dongen first exhibited with the Fauves at the Paris Salon d'Automne. This monumental, vibrant painting of two nudes standing provocatively beneath a sea of balloons dates from the most important period in van Dongen's oeuvre, a time when his individual style was first recognized as a remarkable addition to the art and culture of the period. Although van Dongen exhibited with the other Fauve painters he produced paintings that were pure expressions of his own sentiments and experiences. The sun-drenched Provençal landscapes that so captivated Derain and Matisse could not compete for van Dongen's attention; he was inexorably drawn to the city lights and cabarets of Paris, indeed stating that "Paris attracted me like a lighthouse" (quoted in The Van Dongen Nobody Knows: Early and Fauvist Drawings 1895-1912 (exhibition catalogue), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, 1997, p. 26).

The present work is undoubtedly one of the most impressive paintings from this period given its ambitious scale and bold colors. The multicolored balloons enliven the scene, and their dynamic combinations of pigments and forms are almost orphic in style. Beneath this delightful array of tones stand two well-figured nudes. Van Dongen has depicted them in a frenzied haze of brushstrokes, lending softness to their flesh and an atmospheric charge to the whole image. The heightened colors settled on their forms have risen to a pitch that is no longer naturalistic, nor are their rounded bodies anatomically correct; naturalism is disregarded in the painter's pursuit of a more physical, sensual depiction of his models.

The subject matter is typical of van Dongen's work from this period. Large scale nudes made frequent occurences throughout his career, however, it is these early Fauve monumental beauties that exhibit the most potent Expressionism. The nude models may have inherited their poses from classical Greek caryatids but their vivid sensual charge is drawn directly from modern Parisian nocturnal entertainments. The cabaret scene was at the beating heart of the city and van Dongen was a key protagonist as well as chronicler of the demi-monde. He moved to Montmartre from Rotterdam in 1897, where he began to explore the rich artistic possibilities that the city presented. The nightclubs offered debauchery and refinement in equal measure, such as the nude tableaux vivants staged as erotic entertainment—scenes which undoubtedly influenced the present work.