Camille Pissarro

Pearson, Paris (sold: Sammlung Pearson, Hugo Helbing, Munich, June 12, 1928, lot 26)

(possibly) Dr. P. Riebenfeld

Dr. Harry Bollag, Zurich

Otto and Rita Blau, Lugano

Acquired as a bequest from the above in 1995

Joachim Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro, Critical Catalogue of Paintings, vol. III, New York, 2005,  no. 1425, illustrated in color p. 870

Very good condition overall. Original canvas. Aside from a few hairline cracks over the center of the rooftops and other small areas of crackle, the surface of the picture is intact and stable. There is a vertical line that runs along a significant portion of the left edge of the canvas as well as parts of the other edges of the composition. These lines are NOT inpainting, but are faint indentations of when the work was originally put in a frame while the oil pigments were not completely dry. Finally, there is scattered inpainting along the extreme top, left and right edges to address prior frame abrasions.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Around the turn of the century, Pissarro embarked on his second artistic study of Paris with a series dedicated to unusual yet iconic views of the French capital. Painted in 1902, Le Louvre, matin, printemps is one of compositions from this powerful series. After decades of concentrating 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 if 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" (G. Wescott,  Paris by Pissarro (exhibition catalogue), Carroll Carstairs Galleries, New York, 1944, p. 2)

In Le Louvre, matin, printemps, 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 morning sunshine of springtime. 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.

According to Joachim Pissarro and Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts' revised version of the catalogue raisonné, Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro knew of this painting, as it is mentioned in his documents for the supplement to the original 1939 catalogue raisonné.