Luce – Street Scene at Dusk

Maximilien Luce (1858 Paris – 1941 Paris)

STREET SCENE AT DUSK

1890s

Oil on canvas, mounted on canvas board, 16 x 25.5 cm

Signed upper right: Luce

Provenance:

Collection Jean Bouin Luce

Literature:

Jean Bouin-Luce and Denise Bazetoux, Maximilien Luce, catalogue of the painted work, Vol. II, JBL Edition, Paris, 1986, No. 194, Ill. p. 55

Luce learned oil painting more or less independently in the studios of friend artists and in courses at the Académie Suisse. In the early 1880s, he took the step into free artistic life and seized a good moment for a fresh start. Georges Seurat had just invented an exciting, neo-impressionistic style with pointillism that caused a stir and inspired him, and with the Salon des Indépendants founded in 1884, exhibition opportunities were also open to him, the outsider, without strict regulations. Luce joined Seurat's circle. His pointillist works painted between 1885 and 1900 with a clearly brightened palette brought him national and international recognition during his lifetime. To this day, they achieve six- to seven-figure prices on the art market. The current auction record, achieved at Sotheby's in New York in 2022, stands at €3.5 million.

Around 1900, after the Durand-Ruel Gallery held a solo exhibition for him in the fall of 1899 that was successful with both the public and critics, Luce turned his back on pointillism and painted again in an impressionistic style. Being represented by the first and most important dealer of the Impressionists was an honor and beneficial for his career. Luce abandoned the dots. His brushstroke became elongated, softer, and more virtuosic, while maintaining the brightness and harmony of colors.