Gustave Courbet (French, 1819-1877)
THE PROPERTY OF AN IMPORTANT ENGLISH PRIVATE COLLECTOR
Gustave Courbet (French, 1819-1877)

The Beach at Trouville

Details
Gustave Courbet (French, 1819-1877)
The Beach at Trouville
signed, dated and dedicated '65 Gustave Courbet à mon ami Nodler' (lower left)
oil on canvas
19¼ x 25 5/8 in. (48.9 x 65.1 cm.)
Provenance
with the London Gallery, London.
The Edward James Foundation, Worthing, West Sussex, circa 1937.
Private collection, England.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, New York, 27 October 1982, lot 66.
Anonymous sale; Neal Auction Company, New Orleans, LA, 18 April 2009, lot 290.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Literature
Minotaure, circa 1938 (illustrated).

Brought to you by

Alexandra McMorrow
Alexandra McMorrow

Check the condition report or get in touch for additional information about this

If you wish to view the condition report of this lot, please sign in to your account.

Sign in
View condition report

Lot Essay

This painting is one of a number of coastal scenes executed by Courbet at Trouville in Normandy, in the summer of 1865, and one of two such paintings dedicated to the artist's friend and patron Nodler (see also R. Fernier, La vie et l'oeuvre de Gustave Courbet, 1977, vol. 1, no. 511). Nodler also commissioned two portraits of his sons from the artist in 1866 (op. cit, nos. 540 and 541).

In a letter dated 10 April 2012, J. Fernier points out the anthropomorphic nature of the rock in the foreground, stressing that this is one of the earliest instances of a device that Courbet would use throughout his later career when painting rock formations.

This work is sold with a letter by Jean-Jacques Fernier dated 10 April 2012 confirming that it will be included in his supplement to the Courbet catalogue raisonné.

More from 19th Century European Art including Orientalist Art

View All
View All