Paul Camille Guigou

Private Collection, Belgium (and sold, Christie's, London, April 9, 1976, lot 108, illustrated) 
Sale: Ader, Picard et Tajan, Paris, March 18, 1986, lot 33, illustrated
Richard L. Feigen & Co., New York
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Snider (by 1991)
Sale: Christie's, New York, May 6, 1998, lot 149, illustrated (for $92,700) 
Acquired at the above sale

Philadelphia Museum of Art, By the Sea: Eugene Boudin and His Impressionist Friends, July 13 - September 1, 1991 (lent by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Snider) 

Fred van Braam, 1975, vol. XXVIII, p. 131

The Connoisseur, 1975-76

E. Mayer, 1977, p. 721

Sylvie Lamort de Gail, Paul Guigou: catalogue raisonné, Paris, 1989, vol. I, p. 130, no. 158, illustrated 

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is in very good condition. The canvas is lined. The paint layer is clean and stable. There are some minor retouches in the top corners, and a 1 inch by quarter inch restoration in the upper left sky. The painting should be hung in its current state.
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.

Paul Guigou was a self-taught landscape painter who achieved wide critical acclaim in his lifetime. He had trained as a notary prior to devoting himself to painting, and a legal apprenticeship first brought him to Marseille in 1853-54. His earliest works are painted en plein air and depict the town and its environs, and brought him to the attention of École des Beaux-Arts director, Emile Loubon. Guigou moved to Paris in 1860, where he exhibited at the Salon from 1863-70, and in 1868 he was noted, along with Camille Pissarro, by Jules Castagnary for the quality of his work at the Salon. This same year he received a bronze medal at the Exposition Internationale du Havre, to which Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet and Eugène Boudin also submitted paintings.

Painted in 1869, the present work depicts a remote beach, possibly located near Martigues, near Marseille, where Guigou painted a number of other coastal scenes the same year. A small hut serves as the only landmark, while the trees and sea are painted with luminous, warm hues, suggesting the sun’s heat and the arid atmosphere. Guigou sought to capture the unchanging and enduring qualities of Provence, an ancient land with its own language and culture that he wanted to remain permanent despite the rapid industrialization of the nineteenth century. (Paul Guigou 1834-1871, exh. cat., William Beadleston, Inc., New York; Columbus Museum of Art, April 29- July 12, 1987 n.p.).