Lot Essay
This work will be included in the forthcoming volume of the catalogue critique of Albert Marquet’s paintings being prepared by the Wildenstein Institute.
.jpg?w=1)
PROPERTY OF A FRENCH GENTLEMANChristie’s is pleased to present the following five paintings by Albert Marquet from the collection of a private French gentleman. With dates ranging from 1925 to 1947 and scenes from Norway to Algiers, each work exemplifies a different facet of Marquet’s oeuvre—he was an avid traveler and enjoyed painting in a variety of settings. François Daulte has observed, “the first thing which stands out is that Marquet always remained close to nature. He was acutely aware of reality. He regarded every landscape and scene with interest. For this reason Marquet cannot be accused of being narrow minded. So different from a host of painters who led more circumscribed lives, Marquet was an indefatigable traveller who was always trying to enlarge his horizons. Marquet has left his individual stamp from the dock side cranes of Le Havre to the tugs of Hamburg, from the bobbing masts in the harbours of Tunis and Naples, to the busy scenes of the Bosphorus, Algiers, and Marseilles. From every point of the compass he has reproduced the delicate shades of the changing pattern of light on the hulls of ships, and has captured the most subtle tints of sky and sea” (quoted in Marquet, exh. cat., Knoedler Gallery, New York, 1964, n.p.).Born in Bordeaux in 1875, Marquet discovered his passion for drawing at an early age. His mother immediately recognized his skills and, contrary to his father’s wishes, insisted that she and Marquet move to Paris to further explore his artistic talent. Thereafter, Marquet enrolled in the Ecole nationale des arts décoratifs, where he would meet fellow artist Henri Matisse. Marquet and Matisse quickly formed a close friendship and together began an exploration of form and color which would develop into Fauvism. In 1909, having finally made some money and wishing to explore other regions and landscapes, Marquet traveled to Hamburg and Naples, and later more extensively within France during the war. In 1920, in search of a warmer climate while recovering from a sickness, Marquet visited a more exotic destination—Algiers—which his friend Matisse had visited in 1906. Like Matisse, Marquet found tremendous inspiration in the striking colors of the Algerian landscape, as well as in the powerful light and shadows cast by the illustrious North African sun. In 1925, the year in which two of the works in the collection—Intérieur à Hesnes, Norvège (lot 1334) and Colline d'Hesnes le soir (lot 1335)—were painted, Marquet ventured to Norway. There, he discovered that the ample light and clarity of the northern country perfectly complemented his artistic tendencies. At the start of the Second World War, Marquet signed an anti-Nazi petition organized by fellow artists and intellectuals, thus putting himself and his wife, Marcelle, in danger. With no choice but to flee France for the duration of the war, Marquet and Marcelle sought refuge back in Algiers, where they would live through 1945. Fleurs roses (lot 1332) was painted during this period in the spring of 1944 and depicts the beautiful view from the house “Djenan Sidi Saïd” which became the Marquets’ home during the war years.Marquet and Marcelle returned to France at the war’s close, and the artist spent his final two years of life between Paris and La Frette. Bord de Seine à la Frette (lot 1331) depicts the landscape surrounding the artist’s home in La Frette, which he rented starting September 1939. Marcelle has written that it is perhaps in this modest house in La Frette that her husband felt most at home. When living in Paris, Marquet had always ensured that his studio had a good view of the Seine so that he could paint the ever-changing appearance of the city on the water. Like Claude Monet, he sought to capture in his works the subtle changes in character of various buildings and bridges, in particular the cathedral of Notre-Dame and the Pont-Neuf. On 14 January 1947, Marquet underwent a difficult surgery, but he had resumed painting by the 31st, unable to resist the recent snowfall which he so loved. In the days that followed, Marquet executed a series of eight views of the Pont-Neuf covered in snow—among these, Paris, Le Pont-Neuf, fin de la neige (lot 1333)—the last eight canvases he would paint before his death in June 1947.(fig. 1) The artist in his studio.PROPERTY OF A FRENCH GENTLEMAN
Albert Marquet (1875-1947)
Bord de Seine à la Frette
Details
Albert Marquet (1875-1947)
Bord de Seine à la Frette
signed 'marquet' (lower left)
oil on masonite
13 x 16 1/8 in. (33 x 41 cm.)
Bord de Seine à la Frette
signed 'marquet' (lower left)
oil on masonite
13 x 16 1/8 in. (33 x 41 cm.)
Provenance
Private collection, Paris; sale, Christie's, Paris, 28 November 2012, lot 16.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.
Brought to you by
David Kleiweg de Zwaan