Private Collection, France

Executed on cream colored laid paper laid down on card. The card is then affixed to a second card at places around the perimeter. The top and bottom edges are deckled and there are some very small tears and stains scattered around the extreme perimeter. There is also a 1 inch vertical repair near the lower left corner. There are artist pinholes visible at the bottom corners. The sheet is slightly timed darkend overall but the colours are very bright and fresh. The work is in good 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.

In early July 1905, André Derain joined Henri Matisse in Collioure, a small fishing town on the Mediterranean coast of France not far from the Spanish border. Here, the two artists spent the following months working in close proximity, often painting the same subject. The sun-drenched landscape so typical of southern France had an immediate and profound effect on Derain and, shortly after his arrival, he wrote to Vlaminck: “the light, above all, a blond light, a golden hue that suppresses the shadows.” While in Collioure, Derain’s preoccupation with the light and color of the Mediterranean freed his palette, leading him to explore a new purified form of painting in which strongly contrasting colors came to achieve unprecedented prominence. This was an experience that was to determine the artistic direction of both artists as well as their immediate contemporaries. Upon his return to Paris in September 1905, Derain submitted several boldly colored canvases painted in Collioure to the fabled Salon d’Automne that would see him—together with Matisse, Braque and Vlaminck—proclaimed a "fauve" (wild beast) by the critic Louis Vauxcelles.

The present work is testament to Derain's fascination with the daily life of the busy port. Painted waterside at the point where Boulevard du Boramar and Avenue Camille Pelletan converge (see fig. 1), this lively study bears all the hallmarks of the artist’s high-Fauve style. Executed using quick, spontaneous brushstrokes which were applied to the pale yellow ground in an almost violent fashion, Derain captures the dazzling effect of light with broad swathes of fierce primary tones. Fueled by a daring creativity and the passion of youth, Collioure is a fine ꦑexample of Derain’s output of this period; a ground-breaking body of work that powerfully influenced the course of modern painting.