Theo van Rysselberghe (Belgian, 1862-1926), "Mimosas, St. Clair", 1912, oil on canvas, monogrammed lower left, verso with the artist label inscribed with the title and a partial "Galerie Georges Giroux" label, 17" x 20". Framed. Provenance: Sotheby's, New York, June 22, 1983, lot 20; Collection of Monica Perls and the late Hugo Perls (1886-1977), New York; The Estate of Gary Baxter Webb, Houston, Texas. Illustrated: Feltkamp, Ronald. Theo van Rysselberghe, 1862-1926. Paris: Editions de l'amateur, 2003, no. 1912-028.

Theo van Rysselberghe was a talented Belgian Neo-Impressionist, who was one of the founding members of the Brussels avant-garde group Les Vingt (The Twenty). The group, comprised of twenty independent artists, promoted diverse styles that rejected the traditions of the art academies and the Salon which sanctioned them through state-funded exhibitions. Instead, they exhibited annually on their own in concert with twenty other invited international artists. Through these exhibitions, van Rysselberghe was introduced to French Neo-Impressionism and the divisionist technique of employing dots of pigment and allowing the eye to mix them through a complex understanding of color theory and optics rather than mixing them on the palette. The painting offered in lot 274 is a fine example of his early exploration with divisionism, whereas this oeuvre, painted after he moved to Paris in 1897, shows a far greater command of the technique in the juxtaposition of the mimosas with the complimentary colored decorative background. Though not dated, van Rysselberghe painted three other paintings of mimosas in 1912 that, according to Ronald Feltkamp, are consistent with the style in this one.

Van Rysselberghe was also an avid traveler, very much influenced by the exoticism of the French African colonies and the "Orient". He traveled to Morocco on three separate occasions, painting this view following his three-month sojourn with Edmond Picard in which he accompanied a Belgian economic delegation. Van Rysselberghe, contrary to the Impressionists, seldom painted en plein air while traveling. He preferred instead to take copious sketches and pictures, and then transform them into paintings once back in Belgium. The subject in lot 274, "Place Publique de Meknes," now called "La Place Lahdim", is a celebrated public square in Morocco. Originally built by the Sultan Ismail between 1672-1674, the 200 by 90 meter square connects the ancient part of the city with the newer imperial one. A sketch of this square, which was likely used in the execution of this painting that shows the Rue a Mequinez from the other side, is conserved at the Musee Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. As to the inscription "to my brave friend Heuse", Heuse remains a mystery. Heuse may have been an attorney by the name of "Paul Heuse" with whom Picard corresponded a few times, but since van Rysselberghe was widely exposed to attorneys and delegates within the international circle of artists and writers he traveled, it could be any Belgian with the name of Heuse.

Reference: A special thank you to Mr. Ronald Feltkamp for his assistance and insights into these paintings.