Albert MARQUET (Bordeaux, 1875 - Paris, 1947) Lot n° 18

THE NEW BRIDGE AND THE SAMARITAIN About 1938-1945 Oil on canvas Signed lower left: marquet On the back, on the frame, titled "Pont-Neuf 72 x 90 cm Provenance Private collection A.K., Paris In 1931, Albert Marquet took over the corner of the quai des Grands-Augustins and rue Dauphine, where he set up his studio on the 5th floor, no. 1. His windows gave him an unobstructed view of Paris, to his great pleasure and that of his friends and collectors, this perspective on the Pont-Neuf leading, beyond the equestrian statue of Henri IV, to the majestic façade of the Samaritaine. Here we see the pavilions standing on its high dome, as in two other paintings done in winter weather in 1935 (fig. 1) and again in 1938 (fig. 2). Our painter was related to Gabriel Cognacq and Gérard Renand, the two owners of the department store, who had commissioned him to paint a series of pictures depicting him at different times and seasons of the year to hang in their offices. Our painting shows the Samaritan wrapped in mist on an autumn day, when the trees are covered in gold.