- 183
Odilon Redon
Description
- Odilon Redon
- Poissons
- Signed Od. R. (lower left)
- Watercolor on paper
- 10 5/8 by 8 1/4 in.
- 27 by 20.9 cm
Provenance
Mme Marius Leblond, Paris (by descent from the above)
John Rewald, New York (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, July 7, 1960, lot 98)
Wildenstein & Co., New York (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above in 1960
Exhibited
Paris, Orangerie des Tuileries, Odilon Redon, 1956-57, no. 199 (with incorrect dimensions)
New York, The New Gallery, Odilon Redon, 1958, no. 33, illustrated in the catalogue
Los Angeles, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Rewald, 1959, no. 112
New York, Museum of Modern Art & Chicago, The Art Institute of Chicago, Odilon Redon, Gustave Moreau, Rodolphe Bresdin, 1961-62, no. 74, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Literature
John Rewald, Studies in Post-Impressionism, London, 1986, illustrated pl. 57
Alec Wildenstein, Odilon Redon, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint et dessiné. Mythes et légendes, vol. II, Paris, 1994, no. 1307, illustrated p. 303
Condition
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.
Catalogue Note
Color has come to define many of the most recognized works by Redon. Other artists who would themselves be defined by their use of color looked to Redon as an inspiration: “André Masson has called Redon ‘perhaps the first really free colorist,’ crediting him with the demonstration of ‘the endless possibilities of lyrical chromatics.’ According to Masson, Redon invented ‘colors as metamorphosis,’ and used his ‘tight-rope hues to the limits of the possible.’ Indeed, the figures and the faces, the aquatic fauna and the butterflies…which Redon brought into existence make no pretense at representing natural truth. They are, more often than not, prolongations of dreams, happy dreams vying with the splendors of the rainbow” (ibid., p. 40).
The present work is a souveni🤪r of Redon♌’s visit to the Aquarium of Arcachon in 1912.