Galerie Druet, Paris (acquired from the artist in 1924)
Jean Fontaine (acquired from the above in 1925)
Jean-Nicolas d'Ancezune, Paris (and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 30, 1981, lot 44)
Acquired at the above sale

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Albert Marquet, 1925, no. 54

George Besson, Marquet, Paris, 1929, illustrated pl. 60
Jean-Claude Martinet & Guy Wildenstein, Marquet, L'Afrique du Nord, Catalogue de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 2001, no. I-100, illustrated p. 138

This work is in excellent condition. The canvas has not been lined. Two artist's pinholes are visible, one toward the upper left corner and the other toward the extreme bottom left corner. A brown pindot a few inches above the artist's signature seems to be original to the piece. The colors are fresh and vibrant.
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.

The year 1920 marked a turning point in Marquet's professional and domestic life. After having recovered from poor health the previous year while working in Paris and Marseilles, he left in search of a warmer climate as well as new subject matter to inspire him. He traveled in January from Marseilles to Algiers. Shortly after his arrival, he wrote to Matisse, George Besson (his biographer) and others telling them of his new environs. Armed with a letter of introduction he met Marcelle Martinet; she took him on long hikes in and around Algiers and they were subsequently married in 1923.

Madame Marquet recalled the beginning of their married life together, a period that was punctuated by frequent travel, almost always to places by busy waterways including harbors, ports, seas and the Seine: “In 1923 we started our life together with a six-months stay in a little Tunisian town. We lived simply, dividing our time between work and walks in one of the most beautiful spots in the world—white and blue houses, hanging from cliffs between sky and water—a place so beautiful that Marquet never wanted to return to it, saying there was nothing left of add to his impression. He preferred, a few years later, to establish himself some ten kilometers away, at La Goulette, at the entrance to the Tunis harbor, a scene less perfectly inscribed in the landscape” (Madame Albert Marquet, “Marquet the Man,” Marquet (exhibition catalogue), Wildenstein Galleries, New York, 1953, p. 14).

Madame Albert Marquet lisant, painted in 1924, portrays the artist’s wife on the balcony overlooking the Bay of Algiers. Madame Marquet wrote: “His authority manifested itself once he began to work; I noticed it when I watched him paint, particularly when he did my portrait. Once he began to paint, everything ceased to exist except he and his subject. He proceeded with certainty, as though guided by an interior force. He eliminated the superficial, he accentuated the essential. What conferred to him that solid authority was the fact that he did what he had to do; he could not do otherwise. No fashion, no fad could get hold over him” (ibid, p. 14).