Lot 441
  • 441

HENRI MARTIN | Ramparts à Collioure

Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
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Description

  • Henri Martin
  • Ramparts à Collioure
  • signed Henri Martin. (lower left)
  • oil on canvas
  • 81 by 65cm., 31 7/8 by 25 5/8 in.
  • Painted circa 1915.

Provenance

Chart Gallery, Paris (sale: Sotheby's, London, 4th February 2004, lot 224)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Condition

The canvas is not lined and inspection under UV light reveals no signs of retouching. There is a small accretion to the lower centre of the composition. This work is in overall very good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Henri Martin’s Ramparts à Collioure, executed in 1915, displays an idyllic landscape suffused with a warm atmospheric light and sense of serenity. The present work epitomises the tranquility of Martin’s rural idyll and is a joyous expression of light, colour and texture. The castle of Coillioure is carved by the beaming sun into blocks of gold, shadowed in purple-pink, set against the undulating hills in the distance, while the iridescent sea ebbs in the foreground. Enchanted by his surroundings, Martin experimented with the application of paint as much as with colour; the brushstrokes depicting the sea are looser than the ones that comprise the ramparts and hills, conveying its shimmering, shifting surface. With its glorious setting and striking architecture, Coillioure had been attracting artists since the 1880s and drove Martin to buy a house there in 1923. Martin’s views of Collioure are among the most dazzling of his career.

This work will be included in the forthcoming Henri Martin catalogue raisonné currently being prepared by Madame Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin.