Eugène Boudin

Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired from the artist, June 1890)
M. Devilder, Roubaix (acquired from the above, April 1914)
Wildenstein & Co., Inc., New York.
Jack Lasdon, New York, (by 1968 and sold: Parke-Bernet, New York, October 19, 1977, lot 29a)
Richard L. Feigen & Co., New York.
Janice Levin, New York (acquired from the above in 1977)
The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation (and sold: Christie's New York, May 7, 2008, lot 303)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel et Cie., Exposition E. Boudin, 1889, no. 72
Mulhouse, Maison d'Art Alsacienne, Exposition rétrospective Eugène Boudin, Jongkind, Pissarro, 1931, no. 27
Paris, Galerie Schmit, Eugène Boudin, 1965, no. 70
New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, A Very Private Collection: Janice H. Levin's Impressionist Pictures, 2002-03, no. 2, illustrated in color in the catalogue
The Birmingham Museum of Art (and other locations), An Impressionist Eye: Painting and Sculpture from the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, 2004-05

Georges Jean-Aubry & Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin, Neuchâtel, 1968, p. 240, no. 156, illustrated p. 156.
Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin, vol. II, Paris, 1973, no. 1931, illustrated p. 240
Georges Jean-Aubry & Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin, Neuchâtel, 1987, p. 247, no. 210, illustrated p. 210.

In excellent condition. The work is on a stable panel which has been cradled. The surface is clean. Under UV, no inpainting is apparent
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.

The sight of beachgoers along the Normandy Coast became increasingly common as the 19^th century progressed, and Boudin was there to depict their activities. The construction of railways in the 1850s and 1860s had made traveling to the shore from the city more accessible to the middle class. Beach resorts, like the one depicted here, were favorite weekend destinations, and the popularity of going to the beach lead to the sun-worshipping culture that emerged nearly half a century later.

Brightly colored, striped umbrellas and children playing in the sand under the watchful eyes of their nannies and family members form the core of this composition. There is an immediacy to this painting which speaks to Boudin's belief about the best way to work as an artist. "'[Boudin stated] Everything that is painted directly on the spot...has always a strength, a power, a vividness of touch that one doesn't find again in the studio.' Boudin was in favor of showing extreme stubbornness in retaining one's first impression, which is the good one,' while insisting that 'it is not a single part which should strike one in a picture but indeed the whole.'" (Quoted in John Rewald. The History of Impressionism, New York, 1973, p. 38).  The sweeping brushstrokes and playful colors in the present work bring to life the essence of Boudin's vision as well as a typical scene of a modern society embracing new forms of leisure activities.