Impressionist and Modern Art

The present work will be accompanied by a copy of a certificate of authenticity signed by Mr. Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner in 1989.

In 2000, the work was requested to be included in the exhibition "Henri Le Sidaner en son Jardin de Gerberoy" at the Musée Departmental de l'Oise, Beauvais.

Provenance:

The Artist.

Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, no. 2971 and 8481.

Collection Coquelin Cadet, Paris.

Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 1906.

Collection of Benigno Paiva Irisarri, Montevideo, Uruguay.

Collection of Clotilde Santayana de Paiva, Montevideo, Uruguay.

Hammer Galleries, New York, New York.

Acquired directly from the above in 1989.

Private Collection, New York, New York.

D. Sole & Son, LLC, Far Hills, New Jersey.

Acquired directly from the above in 1995.

Private Collection, California.

Exhibited:

Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, Collection C. Coquelin, June 7 - 8, 1906, no. 59 (illustrated p. 44 in the accompanying exhibition catalogue as Le Chien).

Literature:

Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Le Sidaner: L’Oeuvre Peint et Gravé, Paris, 1989, p. 89, no. 150 (illustrated).

Josette Galiégue et al., Henri Le Sidaner en son Jardin de Gerberoy, 1901–1939, an exhibition catalogue, Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau, 2001, p. 19 (illustrated).

Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Henri Le Sidaner: Paysages intimes, Saint-Rémy-en-l’Eau, 2013, p. 206 (illustrated).

Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner, Derniers Impressionnistes: Le Temps de l'Intimité, 2018, p. 150 (illustrated).

Yann Farinaux-Le Sidaner and Marie Anne-Destrebecq, Henri Martin-Henri Le Sidaner, Deux Talents Fraternels, Éditions Monelle-Hayot, Saint-Rémy-en-L'Eau, 2024, p. 81 (illustrated).

Lot Essay:

At the turn of the 20th century, painter Henri Le Sidaner explored the Beauvais region of France, at the suggestion of his friend, the sculptor Auguste Rodin, in search of a country house. The painter sought solitude and respite and found the sleepy village of Gerberoy much to his liking. Here he rented a house backing up to Saint-Pierre church, where he tended a home and garden in great need of attention, later buying the property and building a studio there. He soon purchased other properties, including one containing the ruins of a fortified castle, and eventually established three manicured gardens, two painting studios (for summer and winter), and his Temple of Love, a copy of the temple at the Petit Trianon in Versailles. Le Sidaner hoped his gardens would rival those of Claude Monet in Giverny, as Monet’s work provided inspiration for his own plein air painting.

Already established as a well-known artist at this time, Le Sidaner turned his focus in Gerberoy on the luscious surroundings and changing seasons, all but eliminating the figure in his compositions. However, the remnants of human activity occupy his spaces, with tables set for tea, a hat casually left on a chair, or as in the case of the present painting, a loyal dog waiting patiently for the family’s return. In Le Banc (Gerberoy) from 1903, the angled bench and sleeping dog both invite the viewer to linger, as the late afternoon light dapples through the branches, creating every shade of green within the heavy summer leaves. The dog’s outstretched paw shows the animal at complete repose, the warm air enveloping him, as he lays there, confident in the return of those he anticipates.

Le Sidaner gained a reputation as an intimiste, a painter of quiet scenes and private interiors that brought a romantic, sentimental quality to bear. Beginning his studies in a more academic vein, the artist eventually moved to the Étaples artist colony where he encountered Impressionism and Pointillism, shaping the way he would paint for the rest of his career. The artist met the art dealer George Petit in Paris in 1895, shortly after leaving Étaples, and Petit soon became the artist’s contracted dealer. Le Sidaner brought Le Banc (Gerberoy) to Petit in 1903, who photographed it and then sold the painting to Mr. Coquelin Cadet, a well-known actor of the Comédie Française. When the actor passed away a few years later, Petit sold the collection for the estate, purchasing this particular painting back for himself. He then most likely gave the piece to Le Sidaner, who re-worked several areas of the picture, explaining the differences in the original photograph (included in the artist’s Catalogue Raisonné) and the work today.