Albert Marquet

Madame Marquet (the artist’s wife)
Robert Martinet
Private Collection, United Kingdom
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Marquet, 1972, no. 28
New York, Wildenstein, Albert Marquet 1875-1947. Painting, 1998, n.n.

Jean-Claude Martinet & Guy Wildenstein, L'Afrique du Nord. Catalogue de l'œuvre peint, Paris, 2001, no. I-110, illustrated in colour p. 144

The canvas is not lined. UV examination reveals some retouching along the left part of the upper edge, the upper part of the left edge and around the upper right corner. There are two further small spots of retouching to the sky. There are some very minor flecks of paint loss to the upper right quadrant and one tiny loss towards the centre of the lower edge. There are some very fine lines of craquelure in places. This work is in overall good condition.
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In 1920, Albert Marquet departed for Algeria in an attempt to escape the persistent bouts of sickness he would experience during winters in Paris. Marquet's dear friend, Élie Faure, had recommended he seek a more hospitable climate to pass the colder months.  Although he had already spent considerable time in Morocco, Faure suggested that he venture to Algeria. In late January of 1920, Marquet wrote to him upon arrival, 'The weather is marvelous in Alger and I think I will work here,' and the artist chose to routinely return to the northern coast. 

Marquet relished these sojourns which provided him with profound sources of inspiration in the exotic and varied landscape. By 1924, he had settled in a home named the Villa Miramar, seen in the present work and situated on the winding picturesque route Laperlier. Marquet's home was nestled in the hills above town and boasted panoramic views of the bay of Alger. The Laperlier path enjoyed a strong following and was commemorated in French circles by authors such as Albert Camus. In similar fashion to some of his contemporaries the Laperlier path was a perennial font of inspiration which Marquet elegized again and again in his North African paintings.