Paris. The Galerie de la Présidence has accomplished a tour de force in presenting this collection of museum quality, as these paintings by Albert Marquet (1875-1947), of this subject and especially of this period, are so rare on the market. "When we learned that the Morozov collection was going to be exhibited, including five views of Paris by Marquet, we thought it was time to show ours," explain the gallery owners. And it's also a nice way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the gallery created in 1971 by Françoise Chibret-Plaussu, joined by her daughter Florence twenty years ago.
"We searched all over the world to find his paintings of views of Paris and feed this exhibition - in addition to those we already had - but we did not find any", says Françoise Chibret-Plaussu. And for a good reason, collectors are not sellers. "They think Marquet will increase in value, and they are right! He is an artist who is out of place. He should be at the same level as his great friend Henri Matisse", judge the gallerists.
In his Parisian views, Marquet retained only the purity of the lines and simplified forms from Fauvism, abandoning the violent colors. He eliminates the superfluous, paints in flat areas, and favors the sketch. He uses muted tones, ranging from black to white, from brown to ochre. His angles of observation are innovative, his perspectives are daring, and he practices plunging views in the manner of Japanese prints. "Marquet is the painter of economy of means, simplicity and light, unlike Matisse, the painter of color," explains Florence Chibret-Plaussu.
Even though the artist painted views of Paris all his life, the canvases collected here were all – except two – produced between 1905 and 1910. In 1905, Marquet moved to 25, Quai des Grands-Augustins; this is when the series of quays begins. "He was passionate about the quays of Paris. Besides, he didn't paint other corners of the capital," the gallery owners point out. Of the ten views presented – for prices ranging from 100,000 to 400,000 euros – nine have as their subject the quays of the Seine, painted from the painter's homes or workshops. Among them, Quai des Grands-Augustins, Paris, Brume, 1905; Winter, Quai du Louvre, 1906; Paris, Quai Saint-Michel, Fog, around 1908-1909 (sold to an American collector) or two views of Notre-Dame with the Saint-Michel bridge, painted from the 5th floor of 19, Quai Saint-Michel, in Matisse's former studio. The tenth is a small oil on panel, Shadow on the Wall, the Louvre, 1905-1906.
The exhibition has already been a hit since six have already been sold of the ten views. "Some days, we even received up to thirty visitors in the gallery. We weren't used to it anymore! The exhibition shows also, a dozen oils on the shores (shores of the Mediterranean, the quays of the Seine in Rouen, Venice, the shores of the Danube, the bay of Algiers, etc.)
Seen in Le Journal des Arts , Marie Potard. Video 50 minutes: A collection of art by Marquet
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