American and European Art

This work will be included in the forthcoming Renoir Digital Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc.

Provenance:

The Artist

Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris, acquired directly from the artist, July 7, 1914 (as Anémones ou Fleurs)

Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York, acquired directly from the above, November 11, 1920

Courvoisier Galleries, San Francisco, California, acquired directly from the above, April 26, 1937

Hammer Galleries, New York

Exhibited:

New York, Durand-Ruel Galleries, Still life and flowers: Late nineteenth century French artists, January 13 - February 1, 1936, no. 9 (as Fleurs, dated 1913)

Lot note:

Painted in 1913, Les Fleurs illustrates the central role floral still lifes played throughout Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s long career. His depictions of elaborate bouquets allowed him to experiment freely with the effects of light and color, exploring the subtle shifts in tone, texture, and form that could be discovered from the smallest adjustments. Within the controlled setting of the studio, the artist could also focus more fully on the quality of paint and on the varied effects of brushwork and color, without worrying about the vagaries of restless models or changing light. “When I am painting flowers I can experiment boldly with tones and values without worrying about destroying the whole painting,” he explained to the critic Georges Rivière. “I would not dare to do that with a figure” (quoted in Renoir, exh. cat., Hayward Gallery, London, 1985, p. 183).  Here, the artist closely focuses on an elegant bouquet of anemones, their colors ranging from blush pinks and delicate whites to vivid reds. Filling the full expanse of the tightly cropped composition, the anemones crowd each other for space and seem to burst with life. Renoir’s distinctive feathery brushwork depicts blossoms of different shapes and stages of opening, with some petals fully opened to reveal their blue-black centers, while others remain as tight buds, waiting to unfurl and show their loveliness.