Albert Marquet

Wildenstein & Co., New York
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 18, 1990, lot 361
Private Collection (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above in 1993

Tokyo, Wildenstein & Co., Inc., Albert Marquet, 1982, no. 15, illustrated in the catalogue
New York, Wildenstein & Co., Inc., Albert Marquet, 1985, n.n., illustrated in the catalogue

The work is in very good condition. The canvas is unlined. A spec of pigment loss is visible in the lower left corner of the window landscape. Slight shrinkage to the pigment is visible in the figure's hair and in the horizon. There are a few small cracks in the red pigment in the upper center edge and upper right corner. Under UV light there is no evidence of inpainting.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

As soon as Albert Marquet secured a steady income, he began to travel, exploring many ports and cities in Western Europe. In 1909, he visited Hamburg and Naples. During the Great War, Marquet was left largely to travel within the confines of France, principally between Paris and Marseilles. The year 1920 marked a turning point in Marquet's professional and domestic life. After having recovered from poor health the previous year, Marquet left in search of a warmer climate as well as new subject matter to inspire him. In January of that year, he left Marseilles for Algiers. Shortly after his arrival, he wrote to Matisse, George Besson, his biographer, and others telling them of his new environs.

In 1925, Marquet traveled to Norway where the clarity of the Northern light complemented his mature Fauve style.  In the present work, Marquet captures a charming interior, with a glimpse of the lush green landscape of Hesnes seen through the window.  The artist's painterly, gestured brushwork punctuates the brightly patterned interior.  This vibrant composition is certainly influenced by the 1920s oils that Matisse so famously produced in Nice (see fig. 1).

François Daulte noted that the artist had "an incomparable instinct...to reduce a landscape to its essential factors, separating the horizontal lines from the vertical. These lines he used to depict perspective, and to convey dimension. He always considered that the representation of space remained the principal element in the composition of a painting" (Marquet (exhibition catalogue), Knoedler Gallery, New York, 1964, pp. 4 & 5).

Fig. 1 Henri Matisse, Intérieur à Nice, la sieste, 1922, oil on canvas, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Geroges Pompidou, Paris