Camille Pissarro

Julie Pissarro (inherited from the artist in 1904)

Georges Manzana-Pissarro (inherited from the above in 1921)

Emile Laffon, Paris (acquired from the above before 1930)

A.&R. Ball, New York

M. Knoedler & Co., New York (acquired from the above in November 1954)

Pamela Woolworth (acquired from the above in November 1954)

Mr. and Mrs. Norman B. Woolworth, Monmouth, Maine (acquired from the above and sold: Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, October 31, 1962, lot 17)

Carrie S. Beinecke (acquired at the above sale and sold: Christie's, London, October 18, 1977, lot 23)

Acquired at the above sale

Bulletin de l'art français et japonais, Paris, May 1926

"Collection Emile Laffon," La Renaissance, Paris, November 1933

Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro and Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, Son Art -- Son Oeuvre, vol. I, Paris, 1939, no. 1165, catalogue p. 242; vol. II, no. 1165, illustrated pl. 230 

Around the turn of the century, Pissarro embarked on an unprecedented artistic study of Paris with whole series dedicated to unusual yet iconic views of the French capital. Painted in 1901, Le Louvre: Soleil d'hiver is one of compositions from this powerful series. After years of concentrating his gaze on rural subjects, Pissarro spent the last years of his life examining the urban landscape of Paris. He frequently changed apartments, choosing his locale based on the views it might afford.  As Glenway Wescott describes, Pissarro "painted Paris rather as Corot painted Rome, in a spirit ... of mature admirer, unrelated lover, enthralled traveler ... Even his selection of motifs was rather in the way of fame and general preference, as it were a public choice: the big boulevards and noble bridges and public gardens. It makes these pictures especially appealing to others who have loved Paris like that, somewhat from the outside" (Glenway Wescott,  Paris by Pissarro (exhibition catalogue), Carroll Carstairs Galleries, New York, 1944, p. 2)

In Le Louvre: Soleil d'hiver, Pissarro carefully frames a view from an apartment in the Place Dauphine looking out over the Square du Vert-Galant. The majestic facade of the Louvre emerges from the background. The artist also accentuates the importance of the Seine and its significance to the prosperity of Paris, portraying a harmony between the city and its axial river. Between the figures in the Square du Vert-Galant and the boats that glide along the Seine, Pissarro presents a vibrant urban center amidst the winter sunshine. What is most evident in these views of Paris, completed after years of examining the rural landscape, is the artist's intrigue with the vitality of the great French capital.