Albert Marquet

Galerie Druet, Paris
Private Collection, New York (sale: Sotheby's, New York, 26th February, 1990, lot 38)
Private Collection, Tokyo (sale: Christie's, New York, 8th May, 2002, lot 273)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Algiers, Musée National des Beaux Arts, Albert Marquet, 1949

The canvas is not lined and there do not appear to be any signs of retouching visible under UV light. There are some very fine lines of craquelure to some of the white pigments. Otherwise this work is in overall very good original condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, though the oranges are slightly more subtle in the original.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Marquet was particularly interested in urban views from raised vantage points. Many of his landscapes from the first decades of the twentieth century depict cities as experienced from a higher and more exclusive viewpoint. However it was Paris that most intrigued him. 'Marquet's attraction to painting was encouraged from early childhood by his mother. On her initative they moved to Paris, where, she thought, he would develop and realise his talent. Until her death in 1907, they lived together in various apartments, all on the banks of the Seine. From the window of their apartment Marquet saw the sights of Paris, and the bird's eye-view perspective that characterises many of these paintings, orignated there.' (Fauvism 'Wild Beasts' (exhibition catalogue), Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 1996, p. 112)

The present work is an atmospheric view of Notre Dame and is most probably Marquet's observation of the 1910 catastrophic great flood of Paris. The Seine held its banks within the city but following months of high rainful, the neighbouring towns of the capital were completely flooded. For much of his career, Marquet ensured that his studio was on his beloved Seine where he could observe the constant changing state of the his panoramic views of Paris. His passion for painting Notre Dame and the surrounding area are echoed by his friend Henri Matisse. The pair studied under Gustave Moreau and they remained firm friends. Matisse decided to move from his studio at 19, qui Saint-Michel to larger accomodation for this family. It was Marquet who took over this space in January 1908 so one can assume both artists would have painted from the same window overlooking Notre Dame.