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These eighteen vibrant watercolours by Paul Signac (lots 80 - 82, 85 - 87, 148-151, 158 -159 and 186-191) represent a key moment in the artist’s creative development and reveal the geo-sociological landscapes of the French coastline from an array of viewpoints. These compositions are built with a combination of sweeping lines, energetic marks and dynamic brushstrokes, capturing the atmosphere of the littoral environment. Details of colourful boats docked in harbours and ports, aqueous blue waves of the sea and nearby rivers, and coastal industrial infrastructure are present in these depictions –natural features intersecting with the anthropogenic transformations and movements of the shoreline.Some of these works are part the artist’s Port de France series, executed between 1929 and 1931, a project put forward to Gaston Levy by the artist and for which he would become Signac’s patron. In this series, Signac displays his prowess as a watercolourist, visiting various ports around France and creating mapped representations of his travels through two works per port, one destined for Gaston Levy and the other for the artist. Signac was inspired by the commission of Louis XV to Claude-Joseph Vernet in the eighteenth century to depict a series of French seaports. He took inspiration from this commission amongst others, here documenting the shifting liminal space where land meets sea through a vivid colour palette and a real flair for this subject matter. An avid sailor, Signac owned eighteen boats including his yacht Olympia, and the maritime theme is inextricable from his oeuvre. The watercolour medium afforded Signac a real sense of creative freedom and a truly striking aspect of the works in this collection is their iridescent, reflective quality. The ubiquitous waves that Signac portrays seem in dialogue between these works, rippling between their landscapes and beyond their frames, connecting these sites around the French coastline.
PAUL SIGNAC (1863-1935)
Camaret
Details
PAUL SIGNAC (1863-1935)
Camaret
signed 'P. Signac' (lower right); dated and inscribed 'Camaret 17 Juin 29' (lower left)
gouache, watercolour and charcoal on paper
11 3⁄8 x 17 in. (29 x 43.3 cm.)
Executed on 17 June 1929
Camaret
signed 'P. Signac' (lower right); dated and inscribed 'Camaret 17 Juin 29' (lower left)
gouache, watercolour and charcoal on paper
11 3⁄8 x 17 in. (29 x 43.3 cm.)
Executed on 17 June 1929
Provenance
Gaston Lévy, Paris, by whom acquired directly from the artist.
André Lévy-Despas, Paris, by whom acquired from the above by November 1932.
Zeïneb Marcie-Rivière (formerly Zeïneb Lévy-Despas), Paris, by descent from the above.
Katia Pissarro, Paris & Christian Neffe, London, by whom acquired from the above by 1995.
Neffe-Degandt Fine Art, London.
The Lefevre Gallery [Alex. Reid & Lefevre, Ltd.], London, by whom acquired from the above.
Acquired from the above by the Blaquier-Arrieta Family, 2001.
André Lévy-Despas, Paris, by whom acquired from the above by November 1932.
Zeïneb Marcie-Rivière (formerly Zeïneb Lévy-Despas), Paris, by descent from the above.
Katia Pissarro, Paris & Christian Neffe, London, by whom acquired from the above by 1995.
Neffe-Degandt Fine Art, London.
The Lefevre Gallery [Alex. Reid & Lefevre, Ltd.], London, by whom acquired from the above.
Acquired from the above by the Blaquier-Arrieta Family, 2001.
Further details
Marina Ferretti has confirmed the authenticity of this work.
Brought to you by
Charlotte Young
Associate Director, Specialist