ALBERT MARQUET

(1875-1947)

Alger, Laperlier

Footnotes

This work is accompanied by an attestation from the Wildenstein Institute. This work will be included in the forthcoming Albert Marquet catalogue raisonné, currently being prepared by Jean-Claude Martinet and Guy Wildenstein.

Provenance
Marcelle Marquet Collection, Paris (the artist's wife).
Henri Piccot Collection, Paris (acquired from the above in March 1947).
Acquired from the above by the husband of the previous owner in December 1947; their sale, Sotheby's, Olympia, 23 March 2005, lot 17.
Private collection, Switzerland (acquired at the above sale).

Albert Marquet first visited Algeria in 1920, trying to escape the constant illnesses he suffered during the winters in Paris. The artist was immediately struck by the favourable climate there, writing to his friend Élie Faure in January that 'the weather is marvellous in Alger and I think I will work here'. Marquet would return many times to the north coast, revelling in the exotic and lush landscape, before settling at Villa Miramar in 1924, located on the winding Laperlier road. The present work captures its panoramic views over the bay with its hazy blue-grey horizon punctuated by the red roofs of the town. A renowned colourist, along with his great friend Henri Matisse, Marquet's skill lay in rendering the atmosphere of a landscape, whether a rainy day in Paris or the dazzling light of Algiers.