Kees Van Dongen (1877-1968) - Le Vase Blue






Master in early Renaissance Italian painting with internship at Sotheby’s and 15 years' experience.
| €12,500 | ||
|---|---|---|
| €11,111 | ||
| €6,000 | ||
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Le Vase Blue, a 1925 oil painting on canvas by Kees van Dongen from the Netherlands, depicting plants and flowers and sold with its frame.
Description from the seller
Kees van Dongen
The Vase Blue
Oil paint on canvas
c. 1925
Size with frame: 60 x 40 cm
Dimensions without a frame: 39 x 19.28 cm.
The work has been authenticated by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute and will be included in the upcoming digital Catalogue Raisonne.
Provenance
Private Collection, France
Veiling, auction house, Cannes, 1994
Private Collection
This painting by Kees van Dongen depicts an exuberant bouquet of flowers in an elegant vase, painted in vivid colors that immediately draw attention. Van Dongen, known for his expressive style and intense use of color, has rendered the flowers with broad, bold brushstrokes and an almost vibrating color palette, making the work feel both energetic and elegant. The flowers seem to dance almost against a contrasting background, adding a sense of depth and dynamism to the composition. This painting reflects Van Dongen's characteristic style, where he combines elements of Fauvism with a personal flair for color and form.
Kees van Dongen in brief
Kees van Dongen (1877–1968) was an artist born in Rotterdam/Delfshaven who worked mainly in Paris from the late 19th century and grew to become one of the most renowned Dutch modernists. He is usually seen as a key figure of fauvism: that movement revolved around free, intense, and 'unmixed' use of color and a spontaneous, expressive brushwork.
In Paris, Van Dongen became involved with the avant-garde around the Salon d’Automne and the Fauves (including Matisse and Derain). His early work is raw and urban; later, he became especially famous for portraits of the Parisian elite: women with almond-shaped eyes, elegant poses, and a pronounced sensuality, almost theatrical glamour.
From vivid Fauvist to fashionable colorist
What is lovely to mention: Van Dongen remained faithful to color as his main character throughout his life, but he evolved from the wild, experimental Fauvism of around 1905–1910 to a more mature, refined style in the 1920s. In that later period, his palette remained powerful but often better 'orchestrated': more attention to decoration, elegance, and a certain luxury in appearance. This also aligns with his success among collectors during the interwar period.
Le Vase Blue (ca. 1925) within his body of work
Although Van Dongen is mainly known for portraits, he consistently created still lifes and flower arrangements. Such works provide him with the perfect space to unleash his painting pleasure in color and brushwork, without narrative or model. You often see the same energy in these as in his portraits: broad, confident strokes, a color that does not describe but speaks, and a composition that revolves around rhythm and liveliness.
At Le Vase Blue, the vase is not only a holder of flowers but also a color anchor in the composition. In the 1920s, Van Dongen more frequently used such powerful, almost 'emblematic' color blocks to structure the image. As a result, the bouquet becomes less of a botanical study and more a celebration of color and movement — fauvist in origin, but with an elegant, late Van Dongen flair.
Seller's Story
Kees van Dongen
The Vase Blue
Oil paint on canvas
c. 1925
Size with frame: 60 x 40 cm
Dimensions without a frame: 39 x 19.28 cm.
The work has been authenticated by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute and will be included in the upcoming digital Catalogue Raisonne.
Provenance
Private Collection, France
Veiling, auction house, Cannes, 1994
Private Collection
This painting by Kees van Dongen depicts an exuberant bouquet of flowers in an elegant vase, painted in vivid colors that immediately draw attention. Van Dongen, known for his expressive style and intense use of color, has rendered the flowers with broad, bold brushstrokes and an almost vibrating color palette, making the work feel both energetic and elegant. The flowers seem to dance almost against a contrasting background, adding a sense of depth and dynamism to the composition. This painting reflects Van Dongen's characteristic style, where he combines elements of Fauvism with a personal flair for color and form.
Kees van Dongen in brief
Kees van Dongen (1877–1968) was an artist born in Rotterdam/Delfshaven who worked mainly in Paris from the late 19th century and grew to become one of the most renowned Dutch modernists. He is usually seen as a key figure of fauvism: that movement revolved around free, intense, and 'unmixed' use of color and a spontaneous, expressive brushwork.
In Paris, Van Dongen became involved with the avant-garde around the Salon d’Automne and the Fauves (including Matisse and Derain). His early work is raw and urban; later, he became especially famous for portraits of the Parisian elite: women with almond-shaped eyes, elegant poses, and a pronounced sensuality, almost theatrical glamour.
From vivid Fauvist to fashionable colorist
What is lovely to mention: Van Dongen remained faithful to color as his main character throughout his life, but he evolved from the wild, experimental Fauvism of around 1905–1910 to a more mature, refined style in the 1920s. In that later period, his palette remained powerful but often better 'orchestrated': more attention to decoration, elegance, and a certain luxury in appearance. This also aligns with his success among collectors during the interwar period.
Le Vase Blue (ca. 1925) within his body of work
Although Van Dongen is mainly known for portraits, he consistently created still lifes and flower arrangements. Such works provide him with the perfect space to unleash his painting pleasure in color and brushwork, without narrative or model. You often see the same energy in these as in his portraits: broad, confident strokes, a color that does not describe but speaks, and a composition that revolves around rhythm and liveliness.
At Le Vase Blue, the vase is not only a holder of flowers but also a color anchor in the composition. In the 1920s, Van Dongen more frequently used such powerful, almost 'emblematic' color blocks to structure the image. As a result, the bouquet becomes less of a botanical study and more a celebration of color and movement — fauvist in origin, but with an elegant, late Van Dongen flair.
