Kees Van Dongen, Les Salons

(Dutch/French, 1877-1968)

Prenez Garde A La Peinture (Be Careful of the Paint), signed lower right and verso "Van Dongen", ink, graphite on wove cream paper, 14-3/8 x 11-1/2 in; modern black frame, 20-1/4 x 16-5/8 x 1-1/4 in.

Provenance: Private Collection, Kansas City

Note: One might suggest that Kees Van Dongen, founder of the Fauvist movement, is poking fun at the important exhibitions of the day and artist's work that was "accepted" for exhibition. He was championed by Ambroise Vollard who invited him to participate in the controversial 1904 Salon des Independants. He exhibited the following year at the Salon d'Automne along with Matisse, Derain, and Vlaminck.
Condition Report: hinges in, some toning, handling grime at edges, small tears at left edge, small stains possibly watercolor