‘La Modèle’ is a mature work by Kees van Dongen, the Dutch artist who became central to the Parisian avant-garde and celebrated for both his bold application of colour and distinctive stylistic approach. By 1950 van Dongen had achieved great critical acclaim with exhibitions in his native country at the Stedlijk Museum and internationally. He was honoured in France as a Knight of the Legion of Honour and in Belgium as a member of the Order of the Crown.

During the 1950s, van Dongen, was focused upon elegant portraits of women and high society scenes. He had purchased a villa in Monaco, dividing his time between there and Monaco, with a wealth of inspiration coming from its well healed community. In ‘La Modèle’ the stylised nude is depicted in a rich elaborate interior with plumes of jewel coloured feathers flourishing from her hat. The woman is painted in van Dongen’s characteristic style, boldly outlined with long limbs and dark almond shaped eyes. The decorative rug is reminiscent of van Dongen’s travels across Morocco and Egypt in the early 1900s which significantly influenced his use of fabric, texture, pattern and colour. The calla lilies to the right of the woman may be seen as a playful and tongue in cheek contrast to her nudity, with the flower stereotypically symbolising purity, innocence and holiness.

Van Dongen’s paintings of women are amongst his most famed subjects with many examples now in public museums such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art (‘Maria’, 1907-10) and MoMA (‘Modjesko, Soprano Singer’, 1908). La Modèle was also on public display for many years at the Kamakura Otani Memorial Art Museum in Japan.