Private Collection, France (circa 1971)

Acquired by the present owner in 1998

Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, Monet-Rodin, 1889, no. 109

Paris, Bernheim-Jeune, Oeuvres de l'école impressionniste, 1903, no. 41

Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum & Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Museum, Monet and the Mediterranean, 1997-98, no. 46, illust🐬rated iꦯn color in the catalogue

Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et Catalogue raisonné, vol. III, Lausanne & Paris, 1979, no. 🦹1186, illustrated p💞. 109

Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, Catalogue raisonné, vol. IඣII, Cologne, 1996, no. 1186, illustrated p. 452

Christiane Eluère, Monet et la Riviera, Paris, 2006, no. 142, illust🍬ra🅺ted in color pp. 184-185

The canvas is relined. Under ultra-violet light, there is some retouching along the framing edges and one vertical area of retouching (approximately 5 inches) in the sky towards the right. There are also a few minor dots of florescence scattered throughout the composition. Over all, the work is in stable condition. Colors: The catalogue illustration is a bit too red overall and the black tones are a bit too heavy.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Monet painted this panoramic view of the Mediterranean coast from Cap d'Antibes in 1888.  In January of that year, he had set off from Paris for the south, travelling aboard a luxury train and stopping briefly in several seaside towns along the Mediterranean coast.  After visiting Cassis, the artist went to Cap d'Antibes where he would stay until end of April.  On the advice of his friend Guy de Maupassant, he took a room at the Château de la Pinède in Cap d'Antibes.  In choosing to paint the Mediterranean landscape, Monet followed the tradition of several nineteenth century artists, including Cézanne, Renoir, Bazille and most importantly Manet. Monet's teacher Eugène Boudin was compelled to travel to Antibes and paint its surroundings (see fig. 1) after seeing Monet's depictions of the region.  In spite of the occasional strong seasonal wind that often compelled him to chain his easel to the ground, Monet managed to complete thirty-nine paintings over the course of three and a half months.  Bords de la Méditerranée, temps gris is one of those triumphant compositions.

 

As is often the case with his travels, Monet's progress throughout his stay in Antibes can be followed through the letters he regularly wrote to Alice Hoschedé.  His mood and the efficiency with which he worked largely depended on the weather conditions.  Some days he would be painting ceaselessly, and expressed satisfaction with his own work.  In more severe weather conditions, however, his frantic activity was disrupted by rain and wind; by the time he could go back to work, he would be frustrated by the changed position of the sun that affected everything in his compositions.  As Joachim Pissarro observed:  "The status of Monet's painting in Antibes changed as fast as the weather.  One day he would work 'admirably,' thanks to the 'eternal and resplendent sun,' and the next a terrible wind would make work impossible. Nevertheless, Monet worked relentlessly.  On February 1, Monet reported that he had 'worked all day without a break: it is definitely so beautiful, but so difficult as well!'" (J. Pissarro, Monet and the Mediterranean (ex. cat.), op. cit., p. 42).

 

Monet's production during his stay in Antibes can be divided into several groups: views of town seen across the sea, landscapes filled with pine trees along the shore, and Monet's famous amalgamation of rock, sea and sky (see fig. 2), occasionally with the addition of the trees, as in the present composition.  The rocks, the sea and the vegetation surrounding Antibes proved to be a great source of inspiration, and Monet was largely able to produce his paintings at a steady pace.  He expressed confidence in his work in a letter to Alice Hoschedé written in early February:  "What I will bring back from here will be pure, gentle sweetness: some white, some pink, and some blue, and all this surrounded by the fairylike air" (quoted in ibid., p. 44).  Due to several disruptions in his work, howev🐷er, Monet decided t🌳o prolong his journey, eager to finish his canvases before returning to his studio in Paris.  The result was a number of vibrant, shimmering canvases reflecting the artist's fascination with the unique quality of the Mediterranean light.