Lot no. 1
Marianne Bresson (born in 1993)
Val.: €40 - €150
October 3rd, 2026 at 11:00 AM
77630 Barbizon - France
October 3rd, 2026 at 11:00 AM
77630 Barbizon - France
Terms of sale
‘I could also hear the voice of the trees; the surprises in their movements, the variety of their forms, and even their unique way of being drawn towards the light had suddenly revealed to me the language of the forests.’
Théodore Rousseau, quoted by Alfred Sensier
As early as the 1830s, painters weary of landscapes composed in the studio began to settle at the Auberge Ganne. Gathering around Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet, and later Corot, Diaz and Daubigny, they painted the forest, thatched cottages and work in the fields with a new standard: the truth of nature and its light. Spurred on by Rousseau, their campaign to protect the forest led, as early as 1853, to the creation of an ‘artistic reserve’, formalised in 1861, one of the very first nature conservation areas in the world.
In the 1860s, the young Monet, Renoir, Sisley and Bazille in turn came to paint at Chailly and in the forest. Impressionism took shape here, following in the footsteps of the Barbizon masters.
The Barbizon School of Art’s plein air painting competition, now in its fifth year, continues this tradition: painting outdoors, in a single day, what the light reveals.
FOREWORD
‘Beauty in art is truth bathed in the impression we have received from the sight of nature.’ Camille Corot.
There are places where painting has taken on a new perspective. Is Barbizon one of them? Here, the 19th-century masters learnt to seek not so much the subject as the moment: a patch of sunlight filtering through the oak trees, the golden glow of evening over the plain, the truth of a scene from everyday life.
On 20 September 2026, for the Living Heritage Festival, thirty-two painters returned to this founding gesture. A single day, a single subject, and one requirement: to capture the sudden burst of light. That light which bursts forth without warning, sets a sandstone wall ablaze, catches the bell tower, sweeps through a garden, then retreats.
The twenty-six works brought together in this catalogue bear witness to that day. Each one captures a moment that will never return. Admirers of the Barbizon School will recognise the freshness of execution, the directness of the brushstroke and the sincerity of the gaze that are characteristic of plein air painting.
They are now being offered for auction at Théodore Rousseau’s house and studio. To acquire one of these works is to welcome into your home a fragment of Barbizon’s light, and to stand alongside artists who, nearly two centuries later, keep the legacy of plein air painting alive.
Christine Lignier
President of the Barbizon School of Art
See original version (French)
Payment terms:
Cash up to €1,000, credit card, bank transfer
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Sale commission: 26.4 % incl. taxes for voluntary sales
Nature of the sale Voluntary sale
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
Contact:
JAKOBOWICZ & ASSOCIES
Operator:
JAKOBOWICZ & ASSOCIÉS
Sale commission: 26.4 % incl. taxes for voluntary sales
Platform fees are included in the buyer’s premium. No additional fees are charged.
Adjudication: As the Live auction report is not binding, the winning bids are confirmed after the sale by the auctioneer.
Payment terms:
Cash up to €1,000, credit card, bank transfer
See original version (French)
Terms of sale: Download the auctioneer's conditions of sale
Legal notice for voluntary sales: JAKOBOWICZ & ASSOCIÉS Declaration date or accreditation number: 2002-065 Intra-Community VAT: FR24441493467
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