{"product_id":"le-bassin-dargenteuil-by-claude-monet","title":"Le bassin d'Argenteuil by Claude Monet","description":"Claude Monet\u003cbr\u003e 1840–1926 | French \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eLe bassin d'Argenteuil\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Signed “Claude Monet 75” (lower right)\u003cbr\u003e Oil on canvas \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Perhaps more than any other painter in history, Claude Monet perfectly captured light as living, fleeting and ever-changing—the foundation of the Impressionist movement that would change art history forever. In \u003cem\u003eLe bassin d’Argenteuil\u003c\/em\u003e, painted in 1875, Monet depicts the legendary riverside town where Impressionism was born. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Created just one year after the first Impressionist exhibition stunned the Parisian art world, this painting belongs to one of the most important chapters of Monet’s career. In late 1871, the artist settled with his family in Argenteuil, a small town on the Seine just outside Paris. What began as a quiet retreat soon became the cradle of Impressionism itself, attracting Manet, Renoir, Sisley and Caillebotte to its riverbanks. With its sailboats, bridges, reflections and changing skies, Argenteuil offered Monet the perfect theater for modern painting. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In \u003cem\u003eLe bassin d’Argenteuil\u003c\/em\u003e, Monet makes light itself his subject, transforming a quiet harbor into something extraordinary. Sunlight filters through the clouds and glimmers brilliantly across the water, and swirls of vibrant hues bring the surrounding buildings and landscape to life. The scene is serene, yet every brushstroke feels alive, as if Monet has captured a single, fleeting moment in time. It is the quintessential Impressionist masterwork. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Between 1872 and 1875, Monet painted more than 50 views of the river around Argenteuil, returning to the subject again and again as one of his favorites. During these years, he also adopted his floating studio boat, allowing him to paint directly from the water and pursue the reflections, movement and optical effects that became central to his art. Without Argenteuil, the world may never have seen the rest of Monet's celebrated oeuvre. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Widely recognized as icons of Impressionism, most of Monet's Argenteuil scenes already reside in the world’s most prestigious museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Musée d’Orsay, the National Gallery and the Art Institute of Chicago—making this an exceptionally rare treasure by one of history's greatest artists. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dated 1875 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Canvas: 20” high x 27 1\/2” wide (50.8 x 69.9 cm)\u003cbr\u003e Framed: 29 1\/4” high x 37” wide x 2 3\/4” deep (74.3 x 94 x 7 cm) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/rau-sfimages.s3.amazonaws.com\/dossier\/Dossier_32-2623.pdf\" target=\"new\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eView the Dossier\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e With Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, no. 12161 (label verso)\u003cbr\u003e Collection of Oscar Schmitz, Dresden, 1904\u003cbr\u003e Kunsthaus Zürich, on loan from 1931 from the collection of Oscar Schmitz\u003cbr\u003e Kunstmuseum Basel, on loan from 1934 from the collection of Oscar Schmitz\u003cbr\u003e Wildenstein \u0026amp; Co., London, from 1936\u003cbr\u003e Mr. E.W. Fattorini, Great Britain, 1940\u003cbr\u003e Sotheby's, London, April 16, 1975, lot 25\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, England\u003cbr\u003e Sotheby's, London, December 3, 1991, lot 22\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, London, acquired at the above auction\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, Europe\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, London \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Literature:\u003cbr\u003e Daniel Wildenstein, Monet. Catalogue raisonné. Werkverzeichnis, Bonn, 1996, vol. II, p. 153, no. 371 (illustrated)\u003cbr\u003e Paul Fechter, “Die Sammlung Schmitz,” Kunst und Künstler: Illustrierte Monatsschrift für bildende Kunst und Kunstgewerbe, Berlin, October 1909, p. 21\u003cbr\u003e Karl Scheffler, “Die Sammlung Oskar Schmitz in Dresden,” Kunst und Künstler: Illustrierte Monatsschrift für bildende Kunst und Kunstgewerbe, Berlin, 1920\/21, p. 186\u003cbr\u003e Marie Dormoy, “La collection Schmitz à Dresde,” L’Amour de l’art, Paris, October 1926, p. 342\u003cbr\u003e Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, vie et œuvre, Lausanne\/Paris, 1974, vol. I, p. 273, 272 (illustrated)\u003cbr\u003e Joel Isaacson, Observation and Reflection. Claude Monet, Oxford, 1978, p. 95, 207 (illustrated)\u003cbr\u003e Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet at Argenteuil, New Haven\/London, 1982, p. 120 (illustrated no. XXI)\u003cbr\u003e Daniel Wildenstein, Monet, vie et œuvre, Lausanne\/Paris, 1991, vol. V, p. 30 (illustrated) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Exhibited:\u003cbr\u003e Zürich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Sammlung Oscar Schmitz, January 14-February 14, 1932, no. 35\/47\u003cbr\u003e Balingen, Stadthalle, Claude Monet, June 18-August 31, 1992, no. 6\u003cbr\u003e Washington, D.C., Phillips Collection, Impressionists on the Seine: A Celebration of Renoir's “Luncheon of the Boating Party,\" September 21, 1996-February 2, 1997, pl. 39","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44851270975623,"sku":"32-2623","price":6985000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0083\/2471\/0466\/files\/32-2623_1_145a9ebd-24a8-45dd-8e01-15607d0bb262.png?v=1781371274","url":"https:\/\/rauantiques.com\/products\/le-bassin-dargenteuil-by-claude-monet","provider":"M.S. Rau","version":"1.0","type":"link"}