Guitar Player
Framed: 39 9/16 x 45 5/8 inches (100.49 x 115.89 cm)
- 129
Painting in Paris from American Collections, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, January 19-February 16, 1930, no. 27.
An Exhibition of Paintings by André Derain, Cincinnati Art Museum, December 21, 1930-January 18, 1931, no. 10.
Derain, Brummer Gallery, New York, November 9, 1936-January 2, 1937, no. 43.
The Art of Music, The San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA, September 26, 2015-January 5, 2016.
Painted in rich, warm tones of cream and brown, André Derain’s painting evokes the resonant sound of the guitar. The carefully balanced composition and harmonious flow of line, together with the musician’s casual open collar, rolled shirtsleeves, and crossed leg, further enhance this mood of lyrical peacefulness.
Prior to his service in World War I (1914–1918), Derain painted dynamic compositions in intense colors. After the war, he used subdued colors, orderly compositions, and a warm light reminiscent of Rembrandt.
Probably purchased from the artist by the dealer Paul Guillaume (1891-1934), Paris, as L’homme à la mandolin, by December 21, 1928-at the latest February 14, 1929 [1];
Purchased from Paul Guillaume by Valentine Gallery, New York, by February 14, 1929;
Purchased from Valentine Gallery by Stephen C. Clark (1882-1960), New York, probably February 14, 1929-March 20, 1941 [2];
His gift to The Museum of Modern Art, New York, March 20, 1941-May 11, 1944 [3];
Its sale, Modern Paintings and Sculptures…Property of The Museum of Modern Art, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, May 11, 1944, lot 85 [4];
With Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, by September 19, 1946;
Purchased from Dalzell Hatfield by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1946.
NOTES:
[1] André Derain was under contract with Paul Guillaume from 1924-1934. According to Sylphide de Daranyi, Chargée d’études documentaires, Musée de l’Orangerie, in an email to MacKenzie Mallon, Specialist, Provenance, December 15, 2016, NAMA curatorial files, this painting was included in an album Paul Guillaume assembled, probably documenting works he owned, as “Derain A 390.” The painting also appears in Guillaume’s magazine, Les Arts à Paris 16 (January 1929), 27.
[2] Stephen Clark lent Guitar Player to the Painting in Paris exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in January 1930. According to Julia May Boddewyn, an independent scholar researching the Valentine Gallery, in an email exchange with MacKenzie Mallon, Specialist, Provenance, December 2016, NAMA curatorial files, Clark purchased four Derains from the Valentine Gallery prior to January 1930. Based on Guitar Player’s date, size and subject matter in relation to the other Derains in Clark’s collection, NAMA’s painting is most likely the Derain listed in the Valentine Gallery’s sales records (Museum of Modern Art, New York) as sold to Clark in February 1929.
[3] Museum of Modern Art, New York, deaccessioning files. The painting was never formally accessioned into the museum’s collection, and was placed on consignment with Valentine Gallery prior to its sale at auction.
[4] According to Christina Eberli, Sotheby’s New York, in an email to MacKenzie Mallon, Specialist, Provenance, December 20, 2016, NAMA curatorial files, the painting was most likely bought by an agent or dealer.
Les Arts à Paris 16 (January 1929): 27, (repro.).
Painting in Paris from American Collections, exh. cat. (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1930), 24.
An Exhibition of Paintings by André Derain, exh. cat. (Cincinnati: Cincinnati Art Museum, 1930), 9, 15, (repro).
The Art News 29, no. 14 (January 3, 1931): 14, (repro.).
Derain, exh. cat. (New York: Brummer Gallery, 1936).
Malcolm Vaughan, Derain (New York: The Hyperion Press: Harper and Brothers, 1941), 59, (repro.).
Notable Modern Paintings and Sculptures, Including Works by Corot, Cézanne, Picasso and Matisse, Property of The Museum of Modern Art (New York: Parke-Bernet Galleries, 1944), 51, (repro.).
Michel Kellermann, André Derain: Catalogue Raisonné de l’oeuvre peint (Paris : Éditions Galerie Schmit, 1996), no. 1249, p. 242, (repro.).
The Clark Brothers Collect : Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings, exh. cat. (Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 2006), 154, 180, 196 n. 91, 323.
