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Artist or Maker: KEES VAN DONGEN 1877 - 1968

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Date: Painted in 1927-30.

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Description: SUR LA DUNE
Signed van Dongen. (lower right)

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Medium: Oil on canvas

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Dimensions: 31 3/4 by 39 1/2 in. 80.6 by 100.3 cm

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Provenance: Galerie Urban, Paris
O'Hana Gallery, London
Sale: Christie's, New York, November 20, 1986, lot 355
Galerie Fischer, Lucerne
Private Collection (acquired from the above and sold: Christie's, New York, May 13, 1998, lot 240)
Acquired at the above sale

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Notes:

In Sur la Dune, van Dongen depicts an unidentified pair of sitters whose seductive pose and attire give an air of vibrancy and boldness characteristic of his most accomplished portraits. The alluring beauty of the models is accentuated by their dreamy expressions and the contemplative mood of their setting, a field of grasses. Juxtaposed against the brilliant yellow fields, soft blue sky and green water in the background, the bright dresses of the girls create a dramatic and striking contrast. The green highlights on both figure's faces, typical of the artist's Fauve portraits, demonstrate his disregard for anatomy and naturalistic representation.

According to Denys Sutton, van Dongen's reputation was made by these portraits of the 1920s and 30s, "his major successes were scored with his portraits of women... in which chic and charm are admirably suggested... He made no secret of the fact that he liked painting women and that he sought to 'improve' (his word) the feminine race by the images that he created. He was anxious to render the long line of a woman trained by sport, with large green eyes, long eyelashes, satin or opaque skin, white, ochre, rose or green" (Denys Sutton, Van Dongen, Tucson, 1971, pp. 48 & 50).