Chaim Soutine (1893-1943), La Polonaise

Chaim Soutine (1893-1943)
La Polonaise
signed 'Soutine' (lower right)
oil on canvas
19 5/8 x 17 ½ in. (49.9 x 44.5 cm.)
Painted circa 1928

Provenance

Jos. Hessel, Paris.
Sam Salz, Inc., New York.
Harriet Harris Jonas, New York (acquired from the above, by 1950).
By descent from the above to the late owner.

PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF VIVIAN S. SCHULTE

Vivian and Arthur Schulte held a lifelong love of art and music that they shared together from the date of their marriage in 1955. They traveled frequently to Europe in the 1950s-1970s, often by ship, and would make the acquisition of new works of art the centerpiece of their trips, with an eye to filling their New York apartment and Palm Beach and Connecticut homes with art they loved and with which they wanted to live. Vivian and Arthur treasured these acquisitions?including works by Leger, Matisse, de Staël, Utrillo?as the ?most valuable? of objects in their lives?regardless of whether they were from known or unknown artists.
Vivian and Arthur continued the fine art collecting begun by Arthur's mother, Harriet Harris Jonas, a renowned collector of painting, sculpture and decorative arts primarily from Byzantine, Renaissance and Impressionist periods. Mrs. Jonas?s art acquisitions began during the early 20th century at the time of her marriage to industrialist and business owner, David A. Schulte, and continued during her subsequent marriage to Parisian art dealer and member of the French Parliament, Édouard Jonas, in the 1930s and 1940s. Mrs. Jonas?s art collection was so extensive that the Metropolitan Museum often arranged for patrons to visit her apartment across the street from the museum at 998 Fifth Avenue. Many of these paintings comprise the artwork owned by Vivian and Arthur Schulte and which adorned the walls of their residences.
Vivian accomplished much in her life?all the while creating a wonderful home for her extended family. She obtained a PhD in Nutrition from New York University, and in 1941 she became Food Consultant and Lecturer for L. Bamberger and Co. in Newark and conducted a radio program on nutrition for WOR during World War II to help homemakers make the most of available foods. She conducted classes in nutrition and food preservation in Newark under the auspices of the American Red Cross. She also served as Food and Home Editor for Fawcett, Hearst and Curtis Publications. Vivian won the American Dairy Association Award for distinguished food journalism and was a member of Les Dames d?Escoffier. In her later years, Vivian was most proud of her poetry, for which she won numerous awards and was recognized in various publications.
When Vivian was not spending time in tennis whites pursuing her competitive passion on the court, she was extending her involvement and generosity as an avid patron of the arts. She could be found at music festivals both in the United States or Europe, a regular patron at the Metropolitan Opera?and Tanglewood, picnicking at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera outside London, and traveling to the Salzburg Music Festival or the Vienna Opera House. She supported the careers of numerous opera sopranos and concert pianists and often held recitals in her Fifth Avenue apartment amidst her treasured artworks.
Many of these works of art are now being shown outside of private ownership by a single family for the first time in nearly 100 years.

Christie's is honored to be offering the following works in our Impressionist and Modern Art Evening sale on May 12th and Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper and Day sales on May 13th.

Peter M. Schulte

PROPERTY FROM THE ESTATE OF VIVIAN S. SCHULTE