ALBERT LEBOURG (FRENCH 1849–1928) "PAYSAGE RIVIÈRE"

Provenance: Acquavella Galleries, New York, New York.

Acquired directly from the above in 1968.

Collection of Charlotte Wright.

By descent in the family.

Collection of Dorrance H. Hamilton.

NOTE:

French artist Albert Lebourg (né Albert-Marie Lebourg) was educated at the École des Beaux Arts and the Académie de Peinture et de Dessin in Rouen, and later became a student at the studio of Jean-Paul Laurens (1838-1921) in Paris. Lebourg lived and worked for several years in Algeria, where he became a professor of art, and during which time his style became progressively more impressionistic. It was in Algiers that he refined his palette, honed his skills, and developed his signature style of harmonious colors displayed in the beautiful landscapes for which he is best known. He would paint many scenes in Algiers, as well as numerous French cities in Normandy and Auvergne. In the 1880s Lebourg exhibited at various exhibitions and salons alongside other famous artists including Claude Monet (1840-1926), Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Georges Seurat (1859-1891), and Berthe Morisot (1841-1895). Throughout his career and posthumously, his work has been shown at institutions including the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen, the Musée d'Orsay and the Petit-Palais in Paris.

The present lot's autumnal shades and soft, broad brushwork perfectly exemplify Lebourg's Impressionist roots mixed with his adept ability to deftly compose the scene with a balance of light, shadow and color.