Les Aloès, Cimiez by Berthe Morisot

Berthe Morisot
1841-1895 | French

Les Aloès, Cimiez

Oil on canvas

This masterpiece was painted by the renowned Impressionist artist Berthe Morisot. Entitled Les Aloès, Cimiez, the captivating painting serves as an ode to the enchanting landscapes of the Mediterranean and tells a timeless tale of familial warmth. Celebrated for her ability to capture the essence of a moment, Morisot takes the viewer to the sun-kissed hills of Cimiez, the upscale hilltop neighborhood overlooking the azure beauty of Nice. In the aftermath of the disbanding of the Impressionists following their last exhibition in 1886, Morisot, accompanied by her husband Eugène Manet and their daughter Julie, sought refuge in the picturesque villa Ratti. The sojourn to the South of France offered the artist a bounty of beauty and countryside quietude to continue her painting.

Under Morisot's delicate brush, the aloes of the garden come alive, seemingly dancing in a gentle breeze. Her palette of pastel blues, yellows and greens belies the tranquility of the setting. Beyond the swirling leaves in the foreground, a slender, feminine figure graces the threshold of the villa—perhaps the artist's daughter, Julie Manet. Morisot's affection for the balmy Mediterranean climate is clear, further illustrated by an 1889 letter to her sister, Edma: “The country is delicious; I work, I make aloes, orange trees, olive trees; finally, a whole exotic vegetation very difficult to draw.”

Born in Bourges, France, in 1841, Berthe Morisot came from a wealthy family. Like many young girls of her social class, she received private art lessons beginning at the age of 11. Her teacher, the painter Joseph Guichard, helped to introduce her to the Parisian art scene. Through him, Morisot made the acquaintance of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Édouard Manet, both of whom would have a profound impact on her career and artistic style.

Morisot exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon from 1864 to 1873 until, in 1874, she joined the Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs—the group that would become known as the Impressionists. They held their first exhibition that same year, and Morisot would go on to exhibit in all but one of the Impressionist shows. Today, Morisot’s drawings, watercolors and oils are in major museums worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.), the Tate Modern (London), the Louvre (Paris) and the Musée d’Orsay (Paris). Because Morisot was wealthy, painting was a passion and not a necessity; thus, her oeuvre is selective and her works extremely difficult to acquire.

Further distinguished by its prestigious provenance, Les Aloès, Cimiez was held in the private collection of the artist’s daughter, Julie Manet, before passing to Ernest Rouart and Julien Rouart. Exhibited widely, it was shown at the famed Galerie Durand-Ruel twice and the important 1907 Salon d’Automne. The painting is reproduced in Marie-Louise Bataille and Georges Wildestein’s catalogue raisonné of the artist’s works, as well as that of Alain Clairet. The study for Les Aloès, Cimiez is held in the permanent collection of the Musée Marmottan in Paris.

Painted in 1889

Canvas: 26 1/5" high x 19 1/4" wide (66.68 x 48.90 cm)
Frame: 34 3/4" high x 27 3/4" wide x 2 1/2" deep (88.27 x 70.49 x 6.35 cm) 

View the Dossier

Provenance:
Private collection of Julie Manet & Ernest Rouart
Private collection of Julien Rouart
Private collection, Paris
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
Private collection, United States

Exhibitions:
Galerie Boussod et Valadon, 1892, Tableaux, pastels et dessins par Berthe Morisot, n° 15
Galerie Durand-Ruel, 1896, Berthe Morisot, n° 118
Galerie Durand-Ruel, 1902, Berthe Morisot, n° 18
Salon d’Automne, Paris, 1907, n° 44
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, 1919, Cent oeuvres de Berthe Morisot, n° 31
Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Torino, Berthe Morisot: Pittrice Impressionista, October 2024-March 2025, no. 28

Literature:
Marie-Louis Bataille et Georges Wildenstein, Berthe Morisot – Catalogue des peintures, pastels et aquarelles, Paris, éd. Les Beaux-Arts, 1961, n° 233, p. 38 ; ill. fig. 252 (cf. Annexe 1)
Importants dessins et tableaux impressionnistes, provenant de la Succession de Madame Julien Rouart, catalogue de la vente Ferri et Beaussant-Lefèvre, Paris, Drouot-Montaigne, 27 November 1997, lot 11, ill. (cf. Annexe 2)
Alain Clairet et al., Berthe Morisot, 1841-1895 : catalogue raisonné de l’oeuvre peint, Montolivet, CERA-nrs éd., 1997, n° 237, ill. p. 230
Berthe Morisot et l’art du XVIII siècle, Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, 2023, fig. 11, p. 144