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Accademia Fine Art

210 - JEAN HENRI ZUBER (1844–1909)
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Estimate €1,200 - €1,800
Sale commission
Description
JEAN HENRI ZUBER (1844–1909) A Walk at Dusk, Cannes 1882 Oil on canvas, signed, dated and localised in the lower left-hand corner Dimensions: 27 x 40.5 cm Zuber was in Cannes in 1881 when he lost his wife; alone in the south of France, he continued to paint works that were noticed and appreciated by English art lovers. And it was in Cannes in 1882 that Henri Zuber painted this work during a particularly prosperous period for the seaside resort, at the height of its first great social heyday, frequented by the European aristocracy, artists and men of letters who stayed there every winter. La Croisette, or the Cannes seafront, was rapidly transforming at that time under the influence of the grand hotels and villas that would soon make it one of the most sought-after destinations in the Mediterranean. Here, Zuber captures a twilight moment of great poetic beauty, as the sky gently glows with shades of pink and mauve-grey, whilst the last rays of daylight linger over the bustling promenade. In the background, the town’s white buildings and what appears to be a bell tower are faintly visible in the fading light, with the sea glistening to the left behind the foliage. The silhouettes of passers-by, barely sketched, irresistibly evoke the grand urban scenes of Giovanni Boldini or Giuseppe De Nittis, those painters of elegant modernity who made Mediterranean high society their favoured subject. Beyond its purely pictorial qualities, this work constitutes a historical record of exceptional value, a rare and authentic vision of Cannes in 1882, captured by a talented artist at the very moment when the town was becoming the stuff of legend. - A French painter born in the Haut-Rhin, and a pupil of Gustave Courbet, Zuber began his career in Napoleon III’s Imperial Navy, where his talents as a draughtsman and painter came to the fore during his long-distance voyages. Remaining aloof from the new artistic movements that characterised the second half of the 19th century, he developed a personal style drawing on Courbet’s realism and Impressionist freedom, which he applied with a particular fondness to scenes of elegant life and the landscapes of the Midi.
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About the sale Day 1: Major Classical Art Auction – Old Master Paintings, Sculptures, Furniture, Archaeological Artefacts, Asian Art, Curiosities, Glassware, Silverware
Auction location
Auction time 11/11/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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