- 213
Tsuguharu Foujita
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Léonard Tsuguharu Foujita
- Jeune fille aux noeuds rouges
- Signed Foujita and inscribed Paris (lower right); signed Foujita, dated 1952 and inscribed Paris (on the stretcher)
- Oil on canvas
- 10 5/8 by 8 3/4 in.
- 27.2 by 22.1 cm
Provenance
Galerie Pétridès, Paris
Private Collection, France (acquired from the above)
Acquired from the above
Private Collection, France (acquired from the above)
Acquired from the above
Exhibited
Paris, Galerie Pétridès, 1952, n.n.
Condition
The canvas is not lined. Scattered fine lines of stable craquleure may be found throughout, most notably in the upper left and upper right quadrants. Minor frame abrasion is present at the extreme bottom left edge. Under UV light: a few spots fluoresce lightly but no inpainting is apparent. An uneven layer of varnish is difficult to read through. This work is in overall 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 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
The present work is a testament to some of the major preoccupations of Foujita's mature period. In discussing this period and the artist's focus on the female model in medieval dress, Robert Rey talks of how "in Asia, every childhood is sacred... it is by instinct that Foujita transforms the children of France into fairies. Consider what becomes of Cosette from Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, a book the artist perhaps never read... a little girl unburdened by the slightest misery" (quoted in Sylvie Buisson, Foujita et ses amis du Montparnasse, Paris, 2010, p. 134). Foujita's paintings from this period increasingly combined religious or historical imagery with a remarkable sensibility for feminine expression to create images subtly laden with suggestion and strong visual impact. As Sylvie Buisson explains, "the boundaries between the sacred and the profane became confused" (ibid., p. 134).
In Jeune fille aux noeuds rouges, Foujita situates his quasi-Mannerist young figure against a rather desolate urban backdrop. Though it is tempting to identify a narrative, Foujita prevents such a reading, favoring instead a lexicon of signs and symbols from the lurking alley cat in the background to the girl's oddly curled digits. The artist's symbolism is not clearly signified, though the hypnotic draw of these elements is unavoidable.
In Jeune fille aux noeuds rouges, Foujita situates his quasi-Mannerist young figure against a rather desolate urban backdrop. Though it is tempting to identify a narrative, Foujita prevents such a reading, favoring instead a lexicon of signs and symbols from the lurking alley cat in the background to the girl's oddly curled digits. The artist's symbolism is not clearly signified, though the hypnotic draw of these elements is unavoidable.