Galerie Dreyfus
60
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ALBERT MARQUET (BORDEAUX, 1875 – PARIS, 1947)
Audierne, the …
See original version (French)
60
-
ALBERT MARQUET (BORDEAUX, 1875 – PARIS, 1947)
Audierne, the …
See original version (French)
Estimate €100,000 - €130,000
Voluntary lot
Description
ALBERT MARQUET
(BORDEAUX, 1875 – PARIS, 1947)
Audierne, the Barrels
Circa 1940
Oil on canvas
49.8 x 61 cm.
Signed lower left
Certificate from the Wildenstein Institute
Provenance
Mrs Albert Marquet (through the artist’s descendants); Mac-Arthur Kohn auction, Paris,
17 December 1997, lot 33; Guy Heytens, Monaco (acquired at auction at Sotheby’s, London,
28 June 2000, lot 154); Private collection, Connecticut; Christie’s auction, New York,
10 May 2007, lot 302.
Following a subtly geometric composition, this harbour landscape is organised
around the central axis of a lighthouse marking the entrance to the harbour. At its base, the quay extends
at a right angle, forming a protruding point within the canvas. On either side, out on the sea,
boats with parallel masts, painted the same yellow as the lighthouse, move along the
same diagonal axis. Finally, in the background, the opposite bank stretches out, also forming an angle
that marks the entrance to the harbour. The quay and the opposite bank are tinged with the same pale ochre
against which men and barrels are scattered; in the foreground, houses and hills lie
behind. In the centre, the blue of the sea forms a mass, contrasting with the rest through its
cooler tones and denser rendering. Thanks to the balance created by the complementary
colours—blues and beiges—Marquet presents us with a vibrant landscape. Playing with the effects of
atmospheric perspective, he varies the density of the tones according to their distance. Thus
the orange-hued figures, scattered along the quay, gradually fade into the distance. The sea,
itself, brushed with dark blue ripples on the right, gradually lightens with distance.
Its surface is even criss-crossed by subtle streaks of white to convey its brilliance in
the sun’s reflections. A subtle colourist, ever attentive to the effects of light on every element,
Marquet imbues his canvas with a calm and serene atmosphere.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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