Camille Pissarro - Works from the gallery collection

CAMILLE PISSARRO (1830 -1903)

Works from the Gallery Collection

CAMILLE PISSARRO (1830 -1903) Works from the Gallery Collection 6 6 S T. J A M ES ’ S S T R E E T, LO N D O N S W 1 A 1 N E , U K TEL: +44 (0)20 7629 6662 EMAIL: STERN@PISSARRO.COM www.pissarro.art

CAMILLE PISSARRO Wo r ks fr o m t he G a l l e r y Col l e ct i on

Identified as the ‘unifying spirit’ of the Impressionist group, Camille Pissarro (1830 - 1903) was a man of great character who not only influenced his own generation of artists, including Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne, but also helped to shape art as we know it. We are excited to present an exhibition of Camille Pissarro’s work, highlighting the artist’s lucrative career which embraced different media, subjects and styles.

Our last exhibition dedicated to Camille Pissarro, ‘St Thomas to Paris’ was in 2003, marking the centenary of his death. Since this show, the gallery has handled hundreds of works by Pissarro, hanging them alongside those of his descendants.

As such, a fresh body of work is available for display, which we look forward to sharing with our visitors. By focusing this exhibition on Camille alone, we wish to go back to our roots and acknowledge the man, artist and father, without whom the rich artistic tradition of five generations of Pissarros would not be possible today.

The coming months offer exciting opportunities for admirers of Camille Pissarro’s art, with the Kunstmuseum in Basel and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford dedicating exhibitions to his life and work. Whilst those incredible museum shows present a larger and comprehensive selection of works, our exhibition offers the possibility of purchasing directly from the gallery.

The diverse selection of pieces available for purchase in our gallery spans a large part of Pissarro’s artistic career, starting from the 1850s

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with his early sketches in St Thomas and Venezuela, up until the later paintings and works on paper realised in France. Featuring over forty artworks, the gallery collection brings together an extremely varied selection of media including paintings, gouaches, pastels, watercolours, drawings and etchings, depicting different subjects that have influenced Pissarro’s vision. Altogether, a privileged exploration of Pissarro’s unique artistic itinerary and progress is presented for our visitors. Amongst the various highlights for this exhibition is a set of early drawings from the Venezuelan period, along with a pair of pointillist paintings by Camille Pissarro and his eldest son Lucien, which are being presented side by side for the first time in this country.

As Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne told art dealer Ambroise Vollard: ‘We learned everything we do from Pissarro. He had the good luck to be born in the Antilles where he taught himself to paint without a teacher’. Born in 1830 in the Caribbean Island of St Thomas, to his parents’ dismay Pissarro turned down a placement in the mercantile family business in favour of a more uncertain artistic career. Particularly significant for his artistic formation was his friendship with Danish painter Fritz Melbye, whom he met on St Thomas in late 1849. Together, the two young painters set up a studio in Caracas, Venezuela from 1852. The studies of landscapes and figures are executed with a refined technique, proving that Pissarro had already acquired a certain early maturity before leaving for France in 1855.

approach to nature, with the paintings presented by our gallery representing the artist’s commitment to record nature en plein-air.

Ultimately, we at Stern Pissarro Gallery hope that you will leave this exhibition with an understanding of Pissarro’s complex artistic path, and of the unique value his work has in both the history of art and in the contemporary collecting scene.

Upon his arrival in Paris, Pissarro found himself in the heartland of the contemporary art scene.

The painter would soon gather an inner circle of artists and intellectuals around him, with figures such as Cézanne and Gauguin visiting his house in Pontoise between 1872 and 1884. The artistic, intellectual and political independence reached by Pissarro at this stage shines through his paintings of rural life. Our selection of peasant studies, which depict people either working or resting, presents the dynamism of one of Pissarro’s favoured subjects.

Fascinated by the idea of unity, the artist found a unique bond in the relationship between peasants and nature. Fully integrated into the fields they work, these figures express Pissarro’s social vision of a harmonious world. It is in the landscape views, however, that we can best grasp Pissarro’s personal

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Camille Pissarro was born on July 10, 1830, in the Danish colony of St Thomas, in the Virgin Islands, to a family of French-Jewish merchants. In 1842 at the age of twelve, he was sent to a boarding school in Paris to receive a French education. It was here that he received drawing lessons and was transformed into a skilled draughtsman at a remarkably young age.

He returned to St Thomas in 1847 and in late 1849, Pissarro met Danish painter Fritz Melbye, with whom he travelled to Caracas, Venezuela from 1852 to 1854 without his family’s consent. During this period, Melbye and Pissarro created studies of everyday life and Pissarro was able to focus on honing the skills he learnt throughout his education. The early works he produced in Venezuela are evidence of the artist’s raw talent. The refined technique visible in these drawings proves that Pissarro had already acquired an artistic maturity before leaving the Caribbean for Paris in 1855.

Executed in May 1853, Paysage animé is exemplary of the landscape watercolours that Pissarro realised while living in Venezuela. The watercolour displayed here depicts two female peasants with their children as they walk towards a rural house in a lush landscape. The diagonal hatching, characteristic of Pissarro’s early drawings, adds a sense of depth to the watercolour composition. The same technique recurs in several other drawings, including Un Rancho en Venezuela (p. 5). A study for a domestic genre scene, the drawing provides an insight into the ranch house of an ordinary family in Caracas, with a mother lovingly holding her child on the left. This intimate domestic scene reveals Pissarro’s interest in the human being, a pictorial theme that remained persistent throughout his later works and that in some measure differentiated him from his Impressionist colleagues.

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Paysage animé, Venezuela

Verso

Watercolour and graphite on paper 26.6 × 36 cm (101⁄2 × 141⁄8 inches) Initialled with a stamp C.P. and dated lower right, 2 Mai 1853 Verso: Un Âne Provenance Mr Benaroya, France This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Paysage, Venezuela Pencil on paper 28.1 × 35 cm (11 × 133⁄4 inches) Initialled C.P and dated 26 jan 1853 lower right Initialled with a stamp C.P. lower left Provenance Mr Benaroya, France This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Épiciers Watercolour and pencil on paper 30 × 28.3 cm (113⁄4 × 111⁄8 inches) Signed C.Pizarro and titled lower left, épiciers and inscribed lower right, pomme de terre Executed circa 1853 Provenance Mr Benaroya, France This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Un Rancho en Venezuela Pencil on paper 35 × 28 cm (133⁄4 × 11 inches) Initialled lower left, CP fecit, titled lower centre, dated 1854 and initialled with a stamp lower right, C.P. Provenance Mr Benaroya, France This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Executed in St Thomas, Pissarro’s birthplace, in April 1852, ‘Deux femmes en bord de mer, St Thomas’ is an extremely rare example the artist’s early drawings. The uniqueness of this piece resides in both its quality of finish and the signature on the lower right corner. By looking closely, one notices that Pissarro signed the drawing ‘Pizarro’ with a ‘z’, which is the Spanish spelling of his surname. As he was mistakenly registered as ‘Pizarro’ at his birth, the artist used this spelling in some of his earliest compositions.

The two figures walking by the sea are beautifully depicted in the lush Caribbean landscape. The seemingly undisturbed scenery in the background, rendered through Pissarro’s characteristic hatching technique, shows the artist’s interest in portraying the tropical vegetation of the island. This composition is one of the last drawings that Pissarro executed in St Thomas, before leaving for Venezuela in November 1852.

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Deux femmes en bord de mer, St Thomas Ink on paper 22.5 × 29.6 cm (87⁄8 × 115⁄8 inches) Signed Camille Pizarro, inscribed and dated St T / avril 52 and initialled with a stamp lower right, C.P. Executed in April 1852 Provenance Mr Benaroya, France This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Figure Studies, a Goat and Child, Studies of Heads and a Seated Woman Black lead on paper 20.3 × 26.8 cm (8 × 101⁄2 inches) Executed in Venezuela circa 1852-1854 Verso: Two Mules, a Seated Figure and a Figure Carrying a Bowl on their Head This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Verso

A Man Driving Two Cows, a Cow Seen from Behind, a Man Carrying a Churn and Head Studies Black lead, pen and brown ink on paper 20. × 26.8 cm (8 × 101⁄2 inches) Inscribed lower right, Pinco Executed in Venezuela circa 1853 Verso: A Man Carrying a Load, a Man Washing at a Basin, and Studies of a Woman and Two Cows

Verso

Exhibited Paris, Musée Marmottan Monet, Les Impressionnistes en Privé, Cent Chefs-d’Œuvre de Collections Particulières, 13th February – 6th July 2014 Tochigi, Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Camille Pissarro: Patriarche de la Modernité, 24th March – 27th May 2012. The exhibition later travelled to Hyogo Prefectural Museum, 6th June – 19th August 2012 This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Two Seated Women Black lead, pen and brown ink on paper 20.3 × 26.8 cm (8 × 101⁄2 inches) Executed in Venezuela circa 1852-1854 Verso: Three Figures and an Ox Seen from Behind in a Landscape, with Figures Inscribed middle-right, anorico Provenance Private Collection, London This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Verso

Verso

Study Of Men’s Heads Black lead on paper 20.3 × 26.8 cm (8 × 101⁄2 inches) Executed in Venezuela circa 1852-1854 Verso: A Farmer Leading Cows, A Cat And Dog With A Study Of A Palm Tree This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Le Chemin, Paysage Hivernal Oil on canvas 37.2 × 28.2 cm (145 ⁄ 8 × 111 ⁄ 8 inches) Signed and dated lower right, C Pissarro 1862 Provenance Mrs Feyeux, Paris Bénézit Collection, Paris E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam (bought in 1952) Private Collection, New York (bought from E.J. Wisselingh in 1955) Private Collection, Paris Stern Pissarro Gallery, London Collection of Maurice Pinto, New York, acquired from the above Exhibited Amsterdam, E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Maîtres Français des XIX et XX Siècles, June-July 1952, no. 25 Literature Joachim Pissarro and Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro, Catalogue Critique des Peintures, vol.II, Paris, 2005, no.63, p. 74 (illustrated in colour)

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Deux Femmes Pencil on paper 24.1 × 32.7 cm (91⁄2 × 127⁄8 inches) Signed with the artist’s initials, C.P. Executed circa 1855-60 Provenance Schoneman Galleries, Inc., New York, no. 8665 Private collection, New York (acquired from the above circa 1950-60) Thence by descent Exhibited New York, Schoneman Galleries, Inc., Pissarro Exhibition, 1959 This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Femme au fichu, allongée Black chalk on paper 23.6 × 31 cm (91⁄4 × 121⁄4 inches) Monogrammed lower left C.P. Executed circa 1880 Provenance Private collection, Germany This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

Pissarro found inspiration not just in the landscapes of rural areas, but significantly, in the harmony that existed between these settings and those who inhabited them. Whilst other nineteenth-century painters such as Jean-François Millet portrayed the backbreaking labour of the peasants, Pissarro offered a more positive view of rural life, one in which peasants and nature cooperated in union. In 1880, Pissarro changed his approach to painting figures, opting to enlarge them within his works. Femme au fichu, allongée is a fine example of a preparatory study he used as part of this painting process during the 1880’s.

Occasionally Pissarro’s sketches were used to inform his later paintings, and as the composition reveals, this sketch appears to have been used to perfect Les Sarcleuses,

Femme au fichu, allongée appears to be related to this later painting, produced by Pissarro in 1882.

Pontoise, executed in 1882. Pissarro is said to have been more interested in capturing attitude or movement, rather than physiognomy. This is evident in the reclining, elongated pose of the women in both Femme au fichu, allongée and Les Sarcleuses, Pontoise, which demonstrates the significance of initial drawing in refining the posture of his subjects.

It is also curious how Femme au fichu, allongée compares to the drawing Deux Femmes (p.18), executed around twenty years earlier. Not only is the composition strikingly similar, but both the scale and dimensions of the works form a clear parallel. In this light, Femme au fichu, allongée appears as a rare piece, which succeeds in illuminating Pissarro’s ongoing process of translating the spirit of the peasantry from life, into drawing and then eventually into paint.

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L'Allée des Vignes à Pontoise Oil on canvas 32.5 × 41 cm (123 ⁄4 × 161 ⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower right, C. Pissarro 1872 Provenance Etienne Baudry, acquired directly from the artist in 1873 Drouot, Paris, 13th April 1892 Drouot, Paris, 27th April 1900 Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris, acquired from the above Galerie Bernheim-June, Paris, acquired from the above in 1900 Collection of Captain Edward Molyneux, Paris Matthiesen Gallery, London, acquired circa 1939 Arthur Tooth & Sons, London Collection of Sir Henry J. & Lady D’Avigdor Goldsmid, United Kingdom, acquired from the above in 1947 Private Collection, Zurich, acquired circa 1957 Private Collection, UK, acquired before 1980 Private collection, UK Exhibited Bern, Kunstmuseum, Camille Pissarro, 1957, no. 20 London, Marlborough Fine Art, A Great Period of French Painting: An Exhibition Held in Memory of the Late Miss Clarica Davidson, 1963, no. 2 Literature Ludovic Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, son art, son oeuvre, Paris, 1939, no. 162 Anne Distel, "Some Pissarro Collectors in 1874" in C.H. Lloyd, Studies on Camille Pissarro, London, 1987, p. 70 Joachim Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro, Catalogue critique des peintures, Paris, 2005, vol. II, no. 258, illustrated p. 209

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Étude de Minette Black pencil on paper 28.5 × 45.4 cm (111⁄4 × 171⁄8 inches) Monogrammed lower right, C.P. Executed circa 1867 Minette (Jeanne), born in 1865 was the second child of Camille Pissarro.

Provenance Estate of the artist Wetterwald - Ranou-Cassegrain, Nice Private collection, London This work will be accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Montmorency Pencil on paper 21 × 32.5 cm (81⁄4 × 123⁄4 inches) Stamped with initials, C.P. Executed circa 1858-1860 Provenance Private collection, USA This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

Montmorency, located to the north of Paris, was a popular rural retreat for city dwellers during the Second Empire. It had become fashionable in the mid-eighteenth century when the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau lived there and during the nineteenth century, writers, artists and intellectuals visited for recreation. Pissarro first went to the Forest in 1856, returning in 1857 and 1859

when he submitted a painting, Landscape at Montmorency (now lost) to the Salon.

Fortunately, several drawings of the area, including this piece from the gallery collection, have survived. Executed in the period between 1858 and 1860, this early drawing offers a panoramic view of the forest of Montmorency, with two small figures almost disappearing into the tall trees.

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In December 1870, the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war forced Pissarro, his wife-to-be Julie and their children Lucien and Jeanne to seek refuge in London.

Pissarro’s stay in London until June 1871 turned out to be a highly fruitful and gratifying period, both for his professional career and personal life.

Providing a haven for numerous French artists fleeing the war, London boasted a vibrant artistic scene at the time, becoming home to painters such as Claude Monet. Pissarro recalls this period in a 1902 letter, writing: ‘Monet and I were very enthusiastic over the London landscapes. Monet worked in the parks, whilst I, living at Lower Norwood, at that time a charming suburb, studied the effects of mist, snow, and springtime.’ As they visited museums together, the two artists had the chance to familiarise themselves with the great tradition of British landscape painting, studying at first-hand the work of William Turner and John Constable. It is in London that Pissarro also met the art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who went on to promote his work and became his primary dealer.

After living in Lower Norwood, the Pissarro family eventually settled in the modern neighbourhood of Upper Norwood. The area gained notoriety housing the famous ‘Crystal Palace’. Designed by Joseph Paxton for the 1851 ‘Great Exhibition’ in Hyde Park, the iron and glass structure was moved to Upper Norwood in 1854. A symbol of modernity, the Palace attracted tourists from all over the world. Pissarro was also fascinated by this landmark, and it became the subject of several paintings and drawings.

The drawing shown to the right offers a panoramic view of Upper Norwood, depicting Crystal Palace in the far middle ground. Both the subject matter and the dimensions relate this drawing to a watercolour by Pissarro titled Study of Upper Norwood, London, with All Saints Church, currently part of the Ashmolean Museum’s prestigious collection in Oxford. It is likely that Pissarro used the same sketching tablet to realise both works on paper. In 1871 Pissarro also painted two oils on canvas with a similar view, namely Crystal Palace Viewed from Fox Hill, Upper Norwood and Crystal Palace, Upper Norwood. Alongside the other depictions of Crystal Palace, this drawing provides an insight into how Pissarro was able to represent this fashionable landmark within a wider suburban landscape.

Crystal Palace viewed from Fox Hill, Upper Norwood, 1871, oil on canvas no.

183 in the Pissarro Catalogue Raisonné Crystal Palace, Upper Norwood

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Crystal Palace Pencil on paper 24.5 × 38.5 cm (95 ⁄ 8 × 151 ⁄ 8 inches) Inscribed lower left, Cristal Palace Executed circa 1871 Provenance Private collection, London This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Les Sarcleuses Graphite on paper 20.5 × 14 cm (81⁄8 × 51⁄2 inches) Stamped with initials lower left, C.P. Executed in the 1880s Provenance Private collection, France This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Jeune Paysan Roulant un Champ Pen and ink over pencil on paper 20.5 × 14 cm (81⁄8 × 51⁄2 inches) Initialled on the right, C.P. Executed in the 1880s Provenance Phillip’s London, 23rd June 1986 Private collection, London This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Painted in 1872, Bords de l’Oise, environs de Pontoise is both a wonderful example of early Impressionism and a testament to Pissarro’s desire to paint a true portrait of contemporary France.

Having originally visited the area of Pontoise in the 1860s, Camille returned there in 1872 and made it his home over the following decade. It was here that Pissarro received his artist friends, including Paul Cézanne and Paul Gauguin, whom he taught to paint in the Impressionist style. When the artist arrived, the town was flourishing; from the rural tranquillity of the surrounding countryside to the bustling activity of the busy riverside, the town presented Pissarro with a wealth of possible subjects.

Throughout his stay, the artist executed around 300 paintings, as well as numerous gouaches, pastels, drawings and prints.

In the present work, Pissarro captures a view of the Oise River that reveals the effects of modernity on the landscape. The two barges, one moored in the foreground and the other mid-river, are placed against a backdrop in which the distinctive silhouette of a factory chimney dominates the horizon. Pissarro was evidently intrigued by the idea of showing industrial features within a more rural setting, returning to paint similar scenes the following year.

Pissarro was fascinated by the symbols of the developing urban landscape, whether in the form of the new Parisian boulevards or the factory chimneys and smoke present in Bords de l’Oise. While his interest in depicting the changing face of France is at the heart of this work, the painting also celebrates the nuances of atmosphere, weather, and light, which he could promptly capture by painting en plein air. Pissarro skilfully juxtaposes the solidity of the boats against a broad sweep of sky that is reflected in the river beneath. Painted with small, deft brushstrokes, Bords de l’Oise, environs de Pontoise masterfully renders a sense of transience within this riverside scene.

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Bords de l’Oise, Environs de Pontoise Oil on canvas 32.4 × 40.9 cm (123⁄4 × 161⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower right, C. Pissarro 1872 Provenance Hector Brame, Paris Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris, acquired from the above on 24th October 1921 Terves, acquired from the above on 1st March 1924 Bruno Stahl, Berlin, placed in storage at the Wildenstein Gallery, Paris Confiscated with other artworks belonging to Georges Wildenstein from the gallery by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) in occupied Paris and transferred to the Jeu de Paume, Paris Transferred to Lager Peter in Altaussee, Austria on 15th January 1943 Transferred to the Central Collecting Point, Munich on 20th June 1945 (inv. no. 212/21) Repatriated to France on 18th April 1946 Restituted to Georges Wildenstein on 21st March 1947 and returned to Bruno Stahl Wildenstein & Co., Inc., New York, acquired from the above in January 1949 Jacques Guerlain, Paris, acquired from the above in 1951 Private collection, France, acquired from the above

Exhibited

Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Pissarro (1830-1903), 1956, no. 11 Literature A. Tabarant, Pissarro, Paris, 1924, pl. 13 L-R. Pissarro & L. Venturi, Camille Pissarro Son Art-Son Oeuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, catalogued no. 161, p.

102; vol. II, no. 161, pl. 32 G. Jedlicka, Pissarro, Bern, 1950, pl. 8 T. Natanson, Pissarro, Lausanne, 1950, pl. 8 R. Brettell, Pissarro and Pontoise, the Painter in a Landscape, 1990, referenced on p. 158 J. Pissarro & C. Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro, Catalogue Critique des Peintures, vol. II, Paris, 2005, p. 218, no. 274 (illustrated)

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During the autumn of 1889, Vincent van Gogh, at the time living in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, had a desire to relocate closer to Paris. Wanting to help him, his brother Theo met Pissarro for advice. In a letter from October 4, 1889, Theo wrote to his brother that Pissarro could not host him but would nonetheless try to find him alternative accommodation at his friend Dr. Gachet’s house in Auvers-sur-Oise. In May 1890, van Gogh eventually moved to Auvers-sur-Oise, where he lodged at the Auberge Ravoux at the Café de la Mairie until his death in July of that same year.

Pissarro was familiar with van Gogh’s work through the close relationship that his son Lucien had with the artist in his later years, and he would have seen van Gogh’s recent works while visiting Dr. Gachet in Auvers-sur-Oise.

The work is indicative of Pissarro’s admiration for the painter, and it can be considered as a homage to van Gogh. The stylistic inspiration Pissarro found in van Gogh’s work is evident in his depiction of elements such as the men wearing caps, the houses in the background and the protruding fence in the right foreground. The little girl sitting on the left is possibly Pissarro’s daughter Jeanne, nicknamed Cocotte, born in 1881, the sixth of Camille and Julie Pissarro’s seven children.

Unable to attend Vincent van Gogh’s funeral, Pissarro sent his condolences to the brother Theo in a letter of July 30, 1890, saying: “This morning we received the regrettable news of the death of your poor brother. My son Lucien only had a few minutes to take the train, hoping to attend the funeral. I would have liked to do the same, but I could not be ready in time. It is to my great regret, because I had a great sympathy for the artist’s soul that he was. He will leave a big void among the young people! .... I pity you, my dear friend, and squeeze (sic) your hands.”

Letter from Camille Pissarro to Theo van Gogh, 30th July 1890

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Auvers-sur-Oise Étude Ink and pencil on paper 30.8 × 46.8 cm (121 ⁄8 × 183 ⁄8 inches) Stamped with initials lower right, C.P. Executed in 1890 Provenance Private collection, France This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Deux Jeunes Filles dans un Jardin Pastel on paper 54.1 × 44.5 cm (211⁄4 × 171⁄2 inches) Signed lower right, C. Pissarro Executed circa 1880 Provenance Louis Estruc, Paris Emile Lebœuf, Paris Jeanne Lanvin, Paris Marie-Blanche Lanvin, Comtesse Jean de Polignac, Paris Thence by descent Literature Ludovic Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, Son art - son œuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, no. 1551, p. 294 & vol. II, illustrated pl. 298 This work is accompanied by an Attestation of Inclusion from the Wildenstein Institute, and it will be included in the forthcoming Pissarro Digital Catalogue Raisonné.

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No stranger to capturing the bustling market scene, Pissarro masterfully conveys both a sense of intimacy, as well as the excitement of entering a crowded space. He offers the viewer a glimpse into the animated conversations of the marketplace, transporting us back to pastoral France.

For Pissarro, town environments such as that depicted in Le Marché presented the perfect opportunity to grapple with the human form and engage with the hustle and bustle of daily life.

The artist explored the market theme through the 1880s and 1890s, executing numerous studies such as Le Marché. Indeed, when taken as a group Pissarro’s market scenes assume considerable importance, revealing not only his interest in human relations, but also something of his political opinions and social attitudes.

As a preparatory piece for the 1902 etching Marché aux Œufs, (illustrated below) this drawing offers us an insight into Pissarro’s artistic process. The figures in the drawing were inverted in order to obtain the mirror image once the sketch was printed onto the plate. Visible through the delicate paper, the reversed initials on the bottom left corner indicate that someone, probably Pissarro himself, chose to display the drawing in order to match the orientation of the etching. This deliberate inversion shows notable consideration towards the presentation of the piece and the attention given to the balance of the composition.

It is the rawness of the work which makes it a rare and revealing insight into how Pissarro commemorated these enigmatic market scenes.

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Le Marché Black and blue pencil on paper 25 × 20.5 cm (97 ⁄ 8 × 81 ⁄8 inches) Signed lower left with initials, C.P. (inverted) Provenance Private collection, France This work is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Marché aux Poissons, Dieppe Gouache on silk 16 × 26 cm (61⁄4 × 101⁄4 inches) Signed lower left, C. Pissarro.

Executed in 1901 Provenance Collection of Julie Pissarro, the artist’s widow Collection of Jeanne and Alexandre Pissarro-Bonin, Paris (by descent) Galerie Schmit, Paris Collection of Maurice Jouillé, France, acquired at the above in 1982 Private collection, France Hôtel des ventes des Carmes, Rouen, 29th November 2009 Private collection, France, acquired at the above by the present owner Exhibited Paris, Galerie Manzi et Joyant, Retrospective C. Pissarro, January - February 1914, no. 118 Paris, Galerie Nunes et Fiquet, Collection de Madame Veuve Pissarro, May - June 1921, no. 39 Paris, Musée de l’Orangerie, Centenaire de la naissance de l’artiste, February - March 1930, no. 14 London, Stern Pissarro Gallery, Camille Pissarro & his Sons, Works on paper, June 21 - July 10, 2010, no. 1 Le Havre, Musée d’art moderne André Malraux, Pissarro dans les ports, April 27 - September 29, 2013, fig. 83, p. 95, cat. 58, p. 172.

Literature L.-R. Pissarro and L. Venturi, Camille Pissarro, son art son oeuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, p. 288, no. 1504 , vol. II, no. 1504, pl. 290 R. Brettell and J. Pissarro, The Impressionist and the City, Pissarro’s Series Paintings, Exhibition Catalogue, Dallas Museum of Art ; Philadelphia Museum of Art and London, Royal Academy of Arts, November 15, 1992 – October 10, 1993, p. 182 (illustrated, mentioned as ‘Private Collection.

Courtesy of Galerie Schmit, Paris’).

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Deux Paysans Assis Charcoal on brown paper 28 × 25 cm (11 × 97⁄8 inches) Monogrammed lower right, C.P. Provenance Private collection, France This work is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Trois paysannes, deux agenouillées et une debout Gouache and pencil on paper 21 × 16 cm (81⁄4 × 61⁄4 inches) Signed lower left, C. Pissarro Executed circa 1890-1891 Provenance Collection of Albert Acrement, France Collection of Alain Lesieutre Private collection, France Literature Ludovic Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, Son art - son oeuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, listed no. 1460 & vol. II, no. 1460, illustrated pl. 283

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Les Sarcleurs Gouache and pastel on silk 28 × 36 cm (11 × 141⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower right, c. Pissarro 82 Provenance Maurice Gobin, Paris Ernest Rouart, Paris Drouot, Paris, 17 December 1993 Private collection, France, acquired at the above Literature Ludovic Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, Son art - son œuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, listed no. 1359 & vol. II, no. 1359, illustrated pl. 265 This work is accompanied by an Attestation of Inclusion from the Wildenstein Institute, and it will be included in the forthcoming Pissarro Digital Catalogue Raisonné.

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Painted in 1885, Route Enneigée avec Maison, Environs d’Éragny is a quintessential example of the idyllic landscapes executed during Pissarro’s time in Éragny. Moving from Pontoise to Éragny with his family the year before, Pissarro was particularly inspired by his new surroundings. Some of the finest works by the artist were realised in Éragny, highlighted by an exhibition dedicated to this period at the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris in 2017.

Winter scenes were explored repeatedly by Pissarro and other Impressionist artists such as Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley, all of whom embedded this genre in the long tradition of Western art. Bucolic, snow-covered settings offered them the perfect opportunity to study the effects of light, colour and reflection, while allowing them to respond subjectively to the landscapes. This painting reveals how the artist used the techniques of Impressionism to breathe life into winter scenes. Despite the dominance of white, we can see Pissarro’s careful deployment of colour which allowed him to convey the atmosphere of the setting. The looseness of the sky is the product of the spontaneity he allowed for within painting and the resulting lively, visible marks give the sky a rich texture.

Pissarro’s affinity with French landscapes was lifelong. This specific Éragny snow-scape was explored by Pissarro several times in 1885, and consequently received the attention of prominent critics. Charles Saunier encapsulated the allure of these scenes perfectly in La Revue Indépendante, when he wrote no one ‘has ever rendered with greater truth and accuracy the feeling of a white plain from which there emerges here and there the skeleton of a tree, a house, wrapped in snowy reflections.’

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Route Enneigée avec Maison, Environs d'Éragny Oil on canvas 33.5 × 41 cm (131 ⁄4 × 161 ⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower left, C. Pissarro 1885 Provenance Dr. Störi, Zürich Kunstsalon Orell Fussli-Hof Zürich, 26th November 1927 Hans Wirth, Siebnen, acquired at the above sale Private collection, Switzerland, acquired from the above in 1954 Private collection, Asia, acquired by 1998 Exhibited London, Royal Academy of Art; Washington, D.C., Phillips Collection & San Francisco, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Impressionists in Winter, Effets de Neige, 1998-99, p. 163, no. 45 (illustrated, titled Snow Effect at Éragny, Road to Gisors) Literature J. Pissarro & C. Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro, Catalogue Critique des Peintures, vol. III, Paris, 2005, p. 517, no. 784 (illustrated)

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Lucien Pissarro (1863 -1944)

Prairie de Thierceville Oil on canvas 50.5 × 65.5 cm (197⁄ 8 × 26 inches) Signed and dated lower left, Lucien Pissarro 1888 This painting by Lucien Pissarro is on loan for the exhibition and is not for sale.

Realised in 1888, Les Coteaux de Thierceville, temps gris is a captivating example of Pissarro’s Neo-Impressionist work, which reveals how the artist’s approach to painting evolved throughout his life. When considered in relation to his son Lucien’s Prairie de Thierceville, which he produced in the same year, these paintings offer a remarkable insight into their experiences of the area. Providing a rare moment in history, when displayed together, they not only capture the outstanding beauty of Thierceville, but also illuminate the symbiotic relationship that existed between father and son.

In late 1885, Lucien introduced his father to Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, who were already championing the method of Pointillism. Camille Pissarro was taken by this new style and began to incorporate it into his oeuvre. Ever the visionary, Pissarro used his experience of creating plein air Impressionist works to develop a form of Pointillism that he could apply to the subjects which had fascinated him throughout his career. Both artists ventured into Neo-Impressionism, with Les Coteaux de Thierceville, temps gris and Prairie de Thierceville proving to be a remarkable example of how they both explored the style vivaciously. The similar size, strength and subject-matter of the works is breath-taking and undeniably unique. This is particularly true when we consider that Camille Pissarro only engaged with Neo-Impressionism for a brief period of his vast career, solidifying both paintings as incredibly precious works.

Their shared admiration for both rural landscapes and Neo-Impressionism highlights the impact that their relationship had upon both of their painting careers. When presented together, Les Coteaux de Thierceville, temps gris and Prairie de Thierceville captures this extraordinary moment when both father and son shared a passion for the same style of painting.

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Les Coteaux de Thierceville, Temps Gris Oil on canvas 54 × 72.8 cm (211⁄4 × 285⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower right, C. Pissarro - 1888 Provenance Durand-Ruel, Paris, acquired directly from the artist on November 10th, 1888 Sammarcelli Collection, Paris, acquired from the above on February 4th, 1892 Drouot, Paris, April 22nd, 1895, consigned from the above Galerie Alfred Daber, Paris, acquired circa 1965 Maurice Segoura, Paris Private collection, acquired from the above in 1986 Exhibited Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Exposition de peintres-graveurs, 1889, no. 220 (titled Temps gris à Thierceville) Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Camille Pissarro, 1892, no. 34 (titled Les Côtes de Thierceville) Literature Charles Saunier, L'Art Nouveau. Camille Pissarro, La Revue Indépendante, April 1892, p. 36 Janine Bailly-Herzberg, Correspondance de Camille Pissarro, vol. III, Paris, 1988, no. 512, mentioned p. 261 (no. 2) Martha Ward, Pissarro, Neo-Impressionism and the Spaces of the Avant-Garde, Chicago & London, 1996, p. 244, p. 243 (illustrated) Joachim Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro, Catalogue critique des peintures, vol. III, Paris, 2005, no. 859, p. 562 (illustrated in colour)

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Deux paysannes dans un champ Ink, wash and graphite on paper 12.5 × 19.6 cm (47⁄8 × 73⁄4 inches) Stamped with initials lower left, C.P Executed circa 1880 Provenance Private collection, France This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Fileuse Charcoal on paper 32,5 × 23,5 cm (127⁄8 × 91⁄4 inches) Monogrammed lower left, CP Executed circa 1875 Provenance Private collection, France Exhibited JPL Fine Arts & Privarte, Camille Pissarro, London - Paris, 1994 This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Peasant Woman Ink and graphite on paper 21,5 × 17,1 cm (81⁄2 × 63⁄4 inches) Stamped lower right, CP Executed circa 1885 Provenance Zagayski Collection, USA Sotheby’s, New York, 29th June 1995 This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Quayside Scene, Le Havre Graphite on paper 10.7 × 17.1 cm (41⁄4 × 63⁄4 inches) Stamped lower right, CP Executed in 1903 Provenance McGrath Collection, USA This work is accompanied by a letter confirming the authenticity of the work by Dr. Joachim Pissarro and will be included in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.

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Clocher d’Eragny vu de l’atelier Oil on canvas 35 × 27 cm (123⁄4 × 105⁄8 inches) Signed and dated lower left, C. Pissarro. 94 Executed in 1894 Provenance Drouot, Paris 18th June 1925 Maurice Lehmann Collection, Paris acquired from the above Thence by descent, Private collection, Paris Private collection, Paris 1974 Exhibited London, Stern Pissarro Gallery, Camille Pissarro : St Thomas to Paris, Nov. 11 - Dec. 6, 2003, no. 46 Utsunomiya, Utsunomiya Museum of Art, Camille Pissarro : Patriarche de la Modernité, March 24 - May 27, 2012, n°82 ; Kobe, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, June 6 - August 19, 2012 Paris, Musee du Luxembourg (Senat), Pissarro a Eragny. La Nature retrouvee, March 16 - July 9, 2017, no. 30 (illustrated in the catalogue p. 87) Literature L.R. Pissarro & L. Venturi, Camille Pissarro, son art - son oeuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, no. 893, p. 205, vol. II, pl. 181 J. Pissarro & C. Durand-Ruel Snoallerts, Pissarro, catalogue critique des peintures, Skira, 2005, vol. III, no. 1049, p. 672, p. 562 (illustrated in colour)

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Always in search for new incentives, Camille Pissarro also explored the world of printmaking, emerging as a peintre-graveur. As he experimented with etching, lithography, aquatint and monotype, Pissarro was fascinated by the different technical possibilities offered by these media. While his earliest prints were simple line drawings on an etching plate, his later works increased in complexity, demonstrating how he was able to master the medium.

Particularly significant for Pissarro’s acquaintance with more innovative methods of printmaking was his artistic partnership with Edgar Degas. The two artists worked closely together from 1879, challenging the traditional methods of the practice. During this period, they produced a series of etchings exploring the differences in atmosphere, light and mood, with the purpose of obtaining greater levels of expression.

Pissarro was the most prolific printmaker of all the Impressionist artists.

Stating that ‘inking is an art in itself’, he insisted on printing his own impressions without the help of a professional printer. Like his oil paintings, his prints also feature a wide range of subject matter, with both urban and rural views, as well as portraits of his family and close friends.

After Pissarro’s death in 1903, Degas informed the Pissarro family that he had many of the artist’s copper plates in his studio. As Pissarro had few final realised prints, the decision was made to posthumously print small editions of each plate. This project was supervised and catalogued by Loys Delteil who, in 1923, published a catalogue raisonné of Pissarro’s etchings and lithographs. The catalogue consists of 196 prints in total, including posthumous editions from 1907, 1920, 1922 and 1923.

Full sets of these etchings are preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris and Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

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Paysanne Portant des Seaux Etching and aquatint 15 × 11 cm (57⁄8 × 43⁄8 inches) Numbered 9/25 Signed with Estate stamp lower right Delteil no. 85 Literature Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Francisco: Alan Wolfy Fine Arts, pp. 184-187, no. 85

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L’Ile Lacroix, à Rouen Etching Drypoint on laid paper 27.3 × 36 cm (103⁄4 × 141⁄8 inches) Stamped, titled, numbered lower left, 25 Executed in 1887 Delteil no. 69 (2nd edition) Provenance Private collection, France Literature Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Francisco: Alan Wolfy Fine Arts, pp. 144-145, no. 69

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Cours Boieldieu, à Rouen Etching on paper 14.9 × 19.4 cm (57⁄8 × 75⁄8 inches) Stamped lower right with blue monogram Inscribed lower left Nº 17 Cours Boëldieu à Rouen (avec femme a gauche) Executed in 1884 Delteil no. 46 (2nd edition) Provenance Private collection, London Literature Loys Delteil, Le Peintre-Graveur Illustré (XIXe et XXe siecles), Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir, Paris, vol. 17, 1923, no. 46 (illustrated) Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Franciso: Alan Wolfy Fine Arts, pp. 92-93, no. 46 (illustrated p. 93)

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Quai Boïeldieu, à Rouen Lithograph 27.7 × 36 cm (107⁄8 × 141⁄8 inches) Stamped lower left and numbered lower right, 8/14 Executed circa 1896 Delteil no. 169 (3rd edition) Provenance Private collection, France Literature Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Francisco: Alan Wolfy Fine Arts, pp. 352-353, no. 169

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Vue de Rouen (Cours la Reine) Etching Drypoint and aquatint 14.8 × 19.5 cm (57⁄8 × 75⁄8 inches) Stamped with brown monogram & numbered 18/60 Executed in 1884 Delteil no. 50 Provenance Private Collection, London Literature Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Francisco: Alan Wolfy Fine Arts, pp. 102-103, no. 50

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Cours Boïeldieu, à Rouen Etching Drypoint on laid paper 30 × 20 cm (113⁄4 × 77⁄8 inches) Stamped with monogram bottom left and numbered bottom right, 3/8 Executed in 1884 Delteil no. 47 Literature Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Francisco: Alan Wolfy Fine Arts, pp. 94-95, no. 47

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Une Ruelle à Rouen (Rue des Arpents) Etching 12.3 × 12.3 cm (47⁄8 × 47⁄8 inches) Stamped lower right with blue monogram Titled and numbered 13 lower left Executed in 1883 Delteil no. 42 Literature Loys Delteil, Le Peintre-Graveur Illustré (XIXe et XXe siecles), Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir, Paris, vol. 17, 1923, no. 42 Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Franciso: Alan Wolfy Fine Arts, pp. 86-87, no. 42

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Jeune Homme Lisant (Georges Pissarro) Etching Drypoint on laid paper 21.5 × 15.7 cm (81⁄2 × 61⁄8 inches) Titled lower centre, Jeune homme lisant Executed in 1889 Delteil no. 81 Literature Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Francisco: Alan Wolfy Fine Arts, p. 174, no. 81

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Grand’mère dans son Fauteuil (La Mère de l’Artiste) Etching 9.9 × 6.1 cm (33⁄8 × 27⁄8 inches) Stamped with dark grey monogram and numbered 2/18 Executed in 1888 Delteil no. 73 Provenance Private collection, London Literature Loys Delteil, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, p. 154 (illustrated p. 155)

The present work depicts Camille’s mother Rachel (née Pomié Manzana) who was born in the Virgin Islands in 1795 and died in France on May 30th 1889. The widow of Isaac Petit, she later married Camille’s father Fréderic Pissarro in 1826 on the Island of St Thomas, where Camille was born in 1830.

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Paysan, Le Père Melon Etching 10.5 × 16.5 cm (41⁄8 × 61⁄2 inches) Stamped lower left with initials Numbered lower right 9/12 Executed in 1879 Delteil no. 25 Provenance Private collection, London Literature Loys Delteil, Le Peintre-Graveur Illustré (XIXe et XXe siecles), Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir, Paris, vol. 17, 1923, no. 25 Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Franciso: Alan Wolfy Fine Arts, pp. 50-51, no. 25

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Baigneuse Vue de Dos Etching 8.7 × 7.3 cm (33⁄8 × 27⁄8 inches) Stamped with monogram and numbered lower right, 15/50 Executed in 1895 Delteil no. 3 Provenance Estate of the Artist Yvonne Pissarro, née Beaupel (wife of the Artist), by descent from the above, by 1972 Literature Loys Delteil, Le Peintre-Graveur Illustré (XIXe et XXe siècles), Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir, Paris, vol. 17, 1923, no. 114 (illustrated) Loys Delteil, Alan Hyman, Jean Cailac, Camille Pissarro: The Etchings and Lithographs, Catalogue Raisonné, 1999, San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, p. 252, no. 114 (illustrated p. 253)

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Paul Paulin (1852 -1937)

Portrait head of Camille Pissarro Plaster 59 × 21 × 21.6 cm (231⁄ 4 × 81⁄ 4 × 81⁄ 2 inches) Signed and dated on the right shoulder, PAUL PAULIN 1904 Active between 1882 and 1922, Paul Paulin was an important French sculptor associated with the Impressionist movement.

He met Edgar Degas in 1883 who encouraged him to develop his bronze and plaster sculptures. Paulin exhibited at the Salon des Français from 1882 to 1889 and at the Salon des BeauxArts in 1901. After making the bust of Degas, Paulin executed a bust of Auguste Renoir who then became a close friend. He also realized the busts of Camille Pissarro, Jean-François Raffaelli, Claude Monet, Auguste Rodin, Armand Guillaumin, Edouard Brissaud and Queen Victoria. Today, many major works by Paulin are held in the collections of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

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