Albert Marquet (1875-1947)

This work is accompanied by an original Attestation of Inclusion from the Wildenstein Institute, and it will be included in the forthcoming Albert Marquet Digital Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc.
Painted in 1922, Notre-Dame vue des quais, le soir captures one of the most iconic Parisian architectural monuments – the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. Likely portraying the view from the window of Jean Launois, Marquet’s fellow artist and friend, the present canvas marks the artist’s departure from the Fauvist palette, exploring this well-known view with a more discreet and subdued range of colours. The subtle, muted hues of grey, green and blue convey the atmospheric evening light as the sun sets over Paris. The darker, dusky shades with which Marquet has rendered the cathedral itself lend it an air of solidity, the geometrical forms of the structure increasing its monumentality within the composition.
For much of his prolific career, Marquet sought to capture the ever-changing urban landscape of Paris, focusing on areas around the river Seine. Returning to certain buildings and landmarks time and time again in his œuvre, the artist observes the gradual transformation of the city around him with a keen eye for detail. Marquet masterfully contrasts the bustle of life in a modern city with the timelessness of its great architectural monuments, telling a compelling story of the urbanisation of Paris in the early 20th Century.