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Lot Essay
Edouard Vuillard met the famed French singer, actress and dancer Yvonne Printemps, subject of the present painting, through her husband and good friend of the artist, Sacha Guitry. The pair married in April 1919, shortly before Vuillard began a series of three portraits of Yvonne, likely painted in the couple’s home on avenue Elisée-Reclus in Paris. Alongside Yvonne Printemps dans le canapé are Yvonne Printemps, previously in the collection of Nacy Lee and Perry R. Bass (Salomon and Cogeval, no. XI-185) and Yvonne Printemps et Sacha Guitry, part of the Museu de Arte de Sao Paolo’s collection (Salomon and Cogeval, no. XI-184). In the former, Printemps is depicted in a more standard portrait format, seated in an armchair and looking directly at the viewer—although well set in her lavish interior, she is the clear focus. In the latter, Printemps and Guitry are seen playing a game of hide-and-seek: she hides behind the edge of the sofa, a bright smile on her lips, while he peeks over, almost fading in the background.
Of the present portrait, Guy Cogival has noted, “Vuillard initially considered several options for this portrait of the beautiful actress and singer, Yvonne Printemps. The present version is a stunning masterpiece from the artist’s late period. The foreshortened figure has been reduced almost to the status of a detail, while the daybed she is resting on is thrust into our field of vision. Note the care Vuillard lavishes on the sofa’s fluted columns. His first impulse, of course, was to produce a frontal treatment of the daybed; almost immediately thereafter, however, he decided on an oblique framing, which allowed him to give its vertical elements a disproportionate importance relative to the reclining figure” (A. Salomon and G. Cogival, op. cit., 2003, p. 1392).
Here, surrounded by her lavishly decorated interior, Printemps becomes one with her home, fitting perfectly in her Parisian apartment. Her orange dress echoes the brightly colored flowers and the sun-kissed garnet-colored rug, while contrasting against the green and cream daybed on which she reclines, ensuring she remains the focal point of this extravagant interior scene. The work remained in the actress’s collection throughout her life, and was acquired by the present owners shortly after Printemps’ estate sale in 1977. Yvonne Printemps dans le canapé was included in Vuillard’s major 2004 retrospective, traveling to Washington, D.C., Montreal, Paris, and London.
Of the present portrait, Guy Cogival has noted, “Vuillard initially considered several options for this portrait of the beautiful actress and singer, Yvonne Printemps. The present version is a stunning masterpiece from the artist’s late period. The foreshortened figure has been reduced almost to the status of a detail, while the daybed she is resting on is thrust into our field of vision. Note the care Vuillard lavishes on the sofa’s fluted columns. His first impulse, of course, was to produce a frontal treatment of the daybed; almost immediately thereafter, however, he decided on an oblique framing, which allowed him to give its vertical elements a disproportionate importance relative to the reclining figure” (A. Salomon and G. Cogival, op. cit., 2003, p. 1392).
Here, surrounded by her lavishly decorated interior, Printemps becomes one with her home, fitting perfectly in her Parisian apartment. Her orange dress echoes the brightly colored flowers and the sun-kissed garnet-colored rug, while contrasting against the green and cream daybed on which she reclines, ensuring she remains the focal point of this extravagant interior scene. The work remained in the actress’s collection throughout her life, and was acquired by the present owners shortly after Printemps’ estate sale in 1977. Yvonne Printemps dans le canapé was included in Vuillard’s major 2004 retrospective, traveling to Washington, D.C., Montreal, Paris, and London.