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Private Collection, California
The Rochdale Observer, 29 October 1932.
L.R. Pissarro and L. Venturi, Camille Pissarro, son art--son oeuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, p. 130, no. 356 (illustrated, vol. II, pl. 71).
R.R. Brettell, Pissarro and Pontoise: The Painter in a Landscape, New Haven, 1990, pp. 93-95 (illustrated, p. 95, fig. 86).
J. Pissarro and C. Durand-...More...Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro: Catalogue critique des peintures, Paris, 2005, vol. II, p. 329, no. 456 (illustrated in color).
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CAMILLE PISSARRO (1830-1903)
Le Quai de Pothuis a Pontoise187618 1/8 x 21 7/8 in.(46.04 x 55.56 cm) oil on canvas
Provenance
Sale, Christie's, Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale Including Property from the Estate of Edgar M. Bronfman, 6 May 2014Private Collection, California
Literature
Stockport Express, 7 January 1932.The Rochdale Observer, 29 October 1932.
L.R. Pissarro and L. Venturi, Camille Pissarro, son art--son oeuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, p. 130, no. 356 (illustrated, vol. II, pl. 71).
R.R. Brettell, Pissarro and Pontoise: The Painter in a Landscape, New Haven, 1990, pp. 93-95 (illustrated, p. 95, fig. 86).
J. Pissarro and C. Durand-...More...Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro: Catalogue critique des peintures, Paris, 2005, vol. II, p. 329, no. 456 (illustrated in color).
...LESS...
“Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.” – Camille Pissarro
History
After taking refuge in England during the Franco-Prussian war and Paris Commune of 1870-71, Camille Pissarro returned to settle at his former residence at Pontoise. He was surprised that the landscape had been substantially altered. Just across from the Hermitage quarter where he had settled, a large factory with its smoke piling skyward from the distillation of beets had been built at Chalon et Cie. It proved to be a solitary modern formal element he tackled with considerable energy in 1873. Direct representations of industry were uncommon, so that not surprisingly, they are in stark with Monet’s contemporaneous work at Argenteuil, where the younger painter devoted his efforts to painting sunshine and parasols, sailboats and well-appointed bourgeois strolling along promenades.
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“Everything is beautiful, all that matters is to be able to interpret.” – Camille Pissarro
MARKET INSIGHTS
- The graph by Art Market Research shows that since 1976, paintings by Pissarro have increased at a 5% annual rate of return.
- Camille Pissarro has enormous growth potential. He is priced today where Monet and Cezanne were priced 20 years ago.
- A 2021 exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston displays a juxtaposition of Impressionist and post-impressionist works, including that of Pissarro. Museums continue to showcase the importance of Pissarro in art history, driving the strong demand for his work.
- Pissarro’s work is seen by many curators and scholars as an important bridge artist between the earlier 19th Century “Barbizon School” and the Impressionists. His prominent inclusion of the French peasantry in his work offers a social critique of his society and the potential dangers of rapid industrialization.
Top Results at Auction
“Le boulevard Montmartre, matinée de printemps” (1897), oil on canvas, 28 ½ x 32 in. Sold at Sotheby’s London: 05 February 2014 for $32,093,000 USD.
“Gelée Blanche, Jeune Paysanne Faisant Du Feu” (1888), oil on canvas, 36 ½ x 36 ½ in., Sold at Sotheby’s London: 04 February 2020 for $17,322,000 USD.
“La Rue Saint-Lazare, temps lumineux” (1893), oil on canvas, 28 ¾ x 23 ¾ in., Sold at Christie’s New York: 11 November 2018 for $12,350,000 USD.
“Jardin et poulailler chez Octave Mirbeau, Les Damps” (1892), oil on canvas, 29 x 36 ¼ in., Sold at Christie’s New York: 11 November 2019 for $10,263,000 USD.
Comparable Paintings Sold at Auction
“Le Grand Noyer au Printemps, Éragny” (1894), oil on canvas, 23 ¾ x 29 in. Sold at auction May 2019 for $2,660,000.
- A later work with a more Pointilist/Post-Impressionist style than the earlier Impressionist masterpiece, “Le Quai de Pothuis a Pontoise”.
- A larger canvas, though not a Pontoise subject. Pontoise is one of the most important locations in the development of Impressionism.
“Le jardin de Maubuisson, Pontoise” (1881), oil on canvas, 25 5/8 x 29 in. Sold at auction November 2015 for $2,965,000.
- A desirable Pontoise subject, including figures working in the fields, which adds value. Our painting also features a figure in the field.
- Comparable in date and quality to “Le Quai de Pothuis a Pontoise”, though larger.
“Les coteaux de Chou, Pontoise” (1882), oil on canvas, 23 ¾ x 29 in. Sold at auction November 2015 for $2,965,000.
- A hillside Pontoise scene that shows the effects of diffused light.
- Comparable quality and subject, though slightly larger.
- Sold at auction for close to $3M six years ago, and the Pissarro market has increased since then.
“Hameau aux environs de Pontoise” (1872), oil on canvas, 21 ¼ x 29 in. Sold at auction November 2012 for $4,394,000.
- An exceptional painting executed four years before “Le Quai de Pothuis a Pontoise”.
- Both paintings address French country life and an Impressionist approach to capturing the light at a single moment.
- Sold for over $4.3M nearly ten years ago, and the Pissarro market has increased since then.
Paintings in Museum Collections
“L’Arc-en-ciel, Pontoise” (1877), oil on canvas, 21 x 32 in., The Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands.
“The Banks of the Oise near Pontoise” (1873), oil on canvas, 15 x 22 in., Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis.
“The Factory at Pontoise” (1873), oil on canvas, 15 x 21 ½ in., The Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
“The Lock at Pontoise” (1872), oil on fabric, 21 x 32 ¾ in., The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio.
“The River Oise near Pontoise” (1873), oil on canvas,18 x 22 in., The Clark Institute, Massachusetts.
“Barges at Pontoise” (1876), oil on canvas, 18 x 21 ½ in., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
“Paint the essential character of things.” – Camille Pissarro
Image Gallery
Additional Resources
“Enduring Impressions: Degas, Monet, Pissarro, and Their Printmaker George William Thornley” Exhibition at Longmont Museum, Colorado
Watch: “Sunrise in the Land of the Rising Sun”, lecture by Joachim Pissarro
Cleveland Museum of Art “Stories from Storage” exhibition featuring Camille Pissarro “Pontoise” painting
