Signed in monogram and dated lower left: LP 1926

(Possibly) Leicester Galleries, London, "Aquatints and Etchings by Alfred Hartley, R.E. Chelsea Cheyne Figures by Gwendolen Parnell, Paintings and Watercolors by Lucien Pissarro," June-July, 1927, no. 24; Leicester Galleries, London, "Exhibition of Landscape Paintings by Lucien Pissarro, 1853-1944," February-March, 1963, no. 10.

Leicester Galleries, London; Lee Malone, New York, acquired from the above, 1964; Private collection, St. Petersburg, Florida, by descent from the above.

Lucien Pissarro (French, 1863-1944) Vue de Bormes, 1926 Oil on canvas 21-1/2 x 25-3/4 inches (54.6 x 65.4 cm) Signed in monogram and dated lower left: LP 1926 PROVENANCE: Leicester Galleries, London; Lee Malone, New York, acquired from the above, 1964; Private collection, St. Petersburg, Florida, by descent from the above. EXHIBITED: (Possibly) Leicester Galleries, London, "Aquatints and Etchings by Alfred Hartley, R.E. Chelsea Cheyne Figures by Gwendolen Parnell, Paintings and Watercolors by Lucien Pissarro," June-July, 1927, no. 24; Leicester Galleries, London, "Exhibition of Landscape Paintings by Lucien Pissarro, 1853-1944," February-March, 1963, no. 10. LITERATURE: A. Thorold, A Catalogue of the Oil Paintings of Lucien Pissarro, London, 1983, pp. 186-187, no. 420, illustrated in black and white (incorrectly listed as belonging to the Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts). Lucien Pissarro, the eldest of the Impressionist Camille Pissarro's seven children, painted this sunny view of Bormes-les-Mimosas, a picturesque hill town considered to be one of the most beautiful villages on the southern French Mediterranean coast. Located between Toulon and the much more touristic St. Tropez, Bormes is a quiet, authentic place built against a hillside, famous for its profusion of gardens and flowering mimosas. In composing this view of the medieval town, the artist chose a low vantage point at the bottom of the hill, affording a unique perspective of the homes that seem to sprout from the ruddy soil and grow toward the friendly blue sky. The colors are warm, pastel, and dusty—especially in the distance—evoking the dry heat of the region. The palette and the subject of the southern French mountains he chose here also have strong associations with the work of Paul Cézanne. In Paris where he was born and raised, Lucien Pissarro trained with his father and absorbed the painterly experiments of Monet and Renoir, who were frequent visitors to the family home. The impact of their subjects and techniques (notably their small, broken brushwork) as well as the work of Seurat and Signac profoundly influenced the direction of his own painting career. After visiting England during the Franco-Prussian War in the early 1870s, Lucien Pissarro returned and settled there permanently, becoming a British citizen in 1890. He enjoyed an active artistic life with many kindred spirits in England, and between 1922 and 1937 began taking regular painting trips to the south of France, where he produced the present work in April of 1926. Bormes is featured in a few other paintings by Pissarro during this period, including his Quartier St. Esprit, Bormes, also of 1926, in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts (inventory no. 63.32; Thorold, 1983, no. 423). Painted in May, a month after Vue de Bormes, it was purchased by the Museum from Lee Malone, who also previously owned the present work. Malone was a former curator and the first full-time Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; he later became an art dealer who handled works in different media by Lucien Pissarro. We are grateful to Kris Ludwig, Curator of Art, Springfield Museums, Springfield, Massachusetts, for his kind assistance in clarifying the provenance of this and related Bormes paintings by Pissarro. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

Unlined canvas. Extremely slight yellowing to varnish layer. Faint, finely patterned craquelure throughout. A pinpoint loss in lower left corner. Otherwise, there appear to be no major condition issues affecting the work. Not examined out of frame. Under UV: some scattered small dots of finely applied retouching in the sky area, particularly in upper right corner. Some modern pigments fluoresce as expected. Framed Dimensions 28.75 X 33 X 2.25 Inches