Estate of the artist
Galerie Wildenstein, Paris
Private Collection, United States
Sale: Christie's, New York, May 9, 2000, lot 147
Acquired at the above sale

London, Royal Academy of Arts, Bonnard, 1966, no. 12, illustrated in the catalogue
Brussels, Musée royaux des beaux arts, Bonnard, Vuillard, Roussel, 1975, no. 2, illustrated in the catalogue
Tokyo, Nihonbashi Takashimaya Art Galleries; Kobe, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art; Nagoya, Aichi Cultural Center & Foukuoka, Municipal Art Museum, Pierre Bonnard, 1980-81, no. 6, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Geneva, Musée Rath, Pierre Bonnard, 1981, no. 6
New York, Wildenstein & Co., The Inquiring Eye of Pierre Bonnard, 1981, no. 4, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Paris, Grand Palais, Salon des artistes Français, 1983, no. 3, illustrated in the catalogue
Madrid, Fundacion March & Barcelona, Sala de la Caix, Bonnard, 1983-84, no. 6, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Jean Bouret, Bonnard, Séductions, Lausanne, 1967, illustrated pl. 3
Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint 1940-1947 et supplément 1887 - 1939, vol. IV, Paris, 1974,  no. 01744, illustrated p. 147

Oil on cradled panel; panel is sound. The colors are rich. Scattered fine lines of extremely minor and stable craquelure throughout, most notably in darker green pigments at center. There are five extremely thin horizontal cracks across the surface of the composition at fairly even intervals. Under UV light, certain original pigments fluoresce slightly. There are extremely fine lines of conservative inpainting throughout areas of notable craquelure at center. Fine lines of inpainting are also visible in association with horizontal cracks at center and upper left. Minor strokes of inpainting in tree at lower left and larger patch of trees at center right and each of these larger strokes is approximately 1/4 inch in diameter. 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.

Vue panoramique (Dauphine) depicts the environs of Bonnard's family's estate Le Grand-Lemps which was situated near the Côte Saint-André in the province of Dauphine. Renowned for its spectacular light, the region had been a favorite spot for artists throughout the nineteenth century including Claude Monet's teacher Johan Barthold Jongkind. Bonnard's desire to express the emotions that the landscape aroused in him resulted in a bold break from the lessons he had received during his own formal training at the Academie Julian. Freed from any concern he may have had for topographical accuracy, Bonnard shifts his focus here to concentrate on rhythm, volume and color, arranging the planes of the landscape, the houses and trees almost at will.

Japanese art continued to have a profound effect on Bonnard's work and it is evident in the freedom of handling in Vue panoramique (Dauphine). As Antoine Terrasse writes, "[Bonnard admired] the Japanese artist's right to dispense with nature imitation and to rearrange the data of reality, the images his eye has registered, in a new manner determined by his inner vision" (Antoine Terrasse, Bonnard, Geneva, n.d., p. 23). Bonnard sought to adapt these principals to his own landscape painting and the result, as seen in the present painting, was a highly individual style. According to John Rewald, "No other painter of his generation was to endow his technique with so much sensual delight, so much feeling for the undefinable texture of paint, so much vibration" (John Rewald, Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Acquavella Galleries, New York, 1965, n.p.).