Galerie L'Effort Moderne (Léonce Rosenberg), Paris
Galerie des Etats-Unis (Serge Stoliar), Cannes
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1969

Berne, Kunsthalle, Herbin, 1963, no. 19 
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Herbin, 1963, no. 25

Geneviève Claisse, Herbin, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Paris, 1993, no. 354, illustrated in colour p. 79

The canvas is lined and UV examination reveals a few, small retouchings in places, the most prominent of which are: a small area in the thin red plane towards the centre left and in the larger red plane towards the centre right, a few spots in the blue background towards the left edge and small lines of retouching to the upper and lower right corners. There are some very fine, minor lines of craquelure in the large green and triangular brown areas, some stable paint shrinkage to the black in the upper right corner, and a few tiny paint losses to the curved red spotted area in the lower left quadrant. Otherwise, this work is in overall good condition and there is a nice, varied impasto. Colours: fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, though overall slightly softer in the original and the green pigment is a bit lighter.
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What makes Auguste Herbin so intriguing an artist was his ability to create such original and powerful imagery in such wonderfully diverse artistic styles throughout his working life. Influenced early on by the Impressionists, his works display an instinctive and sensitive handling of colour. In 1906, Herbin fully embraced Fauvism exhibiting alongside the likes of Derain and Braque in the Salon des Indépendants. Within a matter of years he began to gravitate towards the hypnotising forms of Cubism before discovering abstraction, the style which would completely define his later works.

The present work is perhaps most captivating for its transitional status. It comes from a time when Herbin was enjoying a rich love affair with Cubism, anticipating the abstraction to come. The bold geometric areas of colour form a complex network of shapes th♈at are just drawn t🧜ogether by the recognisable elements of a face. The red lips and sinuous swirls indicate a richly dressed woman as Herbin’s subject, but the pipe and suggestion of a green bow tie cast doubt upon the identity of the figure. This ambiguity is key to the spirit of the work, as Herbin mystifies the composition further and resists a simple interpretation.

Its texture is another particularly striking quality. Herbin has applied thick layers of paint to the canvas, creating a sense of density that challenges the flatness of space which characterises Cubism. This pleasing surface complements the vibrant palette and forms and invigorates the composition. It is a compelling experimentation of surface, palette and space. It is a testament to Herbin’s enthusiasm for development and hints at the change that was in the air he breathed in 1917: in this work, Herbin is audaciously flirting with geometric abstraction.