Eugène Boudin

Rubens Club, Brussels
Robert Kahn-Sriber, Paris
Private Collection, France (and sold: Sotheby's, London, July 1, 1975, lot 21)
Arthur Murray, New York (acquired at the above sale)
Thence by descent

Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), Premier supplément au catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 1984, no. 3823, illustrated p. 74

The canvas is not lined. There is a light build-up of dirt on the surface of the picture and the varnish has yellowed slightly. There is a small spot of paintloss in the largest cloud toward the top right edge which faintly fluoresces under UV light. Under UV light: there are a few scattered pin-dot spots of fluorescence. This work is in very good condition although it would likely benefit from a light professional clean.
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 impressively atmospheric skies that dominate Boudin’s marine landscapes were greatly admired during the artist’s lifetime, receiving effusive accolades from his peers, notably Corot who famously hailed him the “King of the Sky” and Courbet who was moved to declare “My God, you are a seraph, Boudin! You are the only one of us who really knows the sky” (quoted in Ruth J. Benjamin, Eugène Boudin, New York, 1937, p. 46). These skies would inspire a new generation of painters, chief among them Claude Monet, to whom Boudin became a close friend and mentor. Indeed Boudin is credited with having first shown Monet the importance of painting en plein air. After observing Boudin paint for the first time, Monet reported, “Suddenly it was as if a veil had been torn from my eyes. I understood what painting could be. Boudin’s absorption in his work, and his independence, were enough to decide the entire future and development of my painting” (quoted in Peter C. Sutton, Boudin: Impressionist Marine Paintings (exhibition catalogue), Peabody Museum of Salem, Massachusetts, 1991, p. 54). Boudin participated in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 alongside Monet and his young friends and though he never officially regarded himself as an avant-gardist or a member of the Impressionist group, his influence on them is evident, notably in the way that they followed his example in painting out-of-doors to depict ephemeral changes in light and color.