Bernheim-Jeune, Paris
O’Hana Gallery, London
Sally Garman-Ryan (acquired from the above in 1966)
Lady Kathleen Epstein (wife of Sir Jacob Epstein, acquired from the above in 1968)
Jerome Solomon (nephew of Sir Jacob Epstein, acquired from the above in 1974)
Frances Mishler (by descent from the above)
Thence by descent

London, O'Hana Gallery, Modern Masters, 1850-1950, 1958, no. 5
London, O'Hana Gallery, French paintings of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, 1959, no. 2

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l’oeuvre peint, 1940-1947, vol. IV, Paris, 1974, no. 1581, illustrated p. 27

Canvas is unlined. The edges are reinforced with tape. Pindot paint loss in the green tree toward upper right of the foliage. The canvas has likely been restretched, causing a few vertical lines of separation of pigment in the sky. Under UV light two one-inch ares of retouching fluoresce in the sky near upper right corner, likely to address this separation of the canvas, otherwise fine. This 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.
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By the time Bonnard painted Citronniers au Cannet, he was widely celebrated among the avant-garde, and his paintings were sought after by prominent collectors in America and Europe. In 1926 he bought the Villa du Bosquet above Le Cannet, where he remained for the rest of his life. Bonnard's new estate commanded a magnificent view over the bay of Cannes and the mountains of the Esterel. The lush surroundings and the dazzling light that reflected off the water inspired some of the artist's most monumental landscapes, including Citronniers au Cannet. This composition depicts the grounds of the villa as seen from a higher point of elevation.

The present work once held a prominent position in the collection of Sally Ryan, co-founder of the Garman-Ryan Collection, now on permanent display in The New Art Gallery Walsall (see fig 1). The collection is comprised of numerous works by European artists of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including Epstein, Modigliani, Monet, Picasso, Turner and Degas. After Sally Ryan’s death, Lady Kathleen (Garman) Epstein, second wife of the American-born British sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein and co-founder of the Garman-Ryan collection, was responsible for selling a small portion of the estate to benefit the Garman-Ryan Collection.

Citronniers au Cannet was sold to Sir Jacob Epstein’s nephew, Jerome Solomon. The written correspondence between Lady Epstein and Mr. Solomon is one of warmth, adora꧑tion and appreciation. In a letter dated September 10, 1974, Lady Epstein writes to Mr. Solomon: "If you had not come to my rescue I should have been left with nothing to live on. And it is also owing to your succes🦋sful efforts that the rest of the paintings were released to me in my lifetime. So you see how important a part you have placed in the success of the Garman Ryan Collection. Already there have visitors and very enthusiastic ones from many countries."