B. Bordeaux, 1875 - d. Paris, 1947
Le Pont Neuf (The New Bridge), 1935, oil on canvasAlbert Marquet is a noted French landscape painter of the first half of the twentieth century. He studied at the famous atelier of Gustave Moreaux. In 1905, he participated with Matisse and others in the first Fauve exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants, and his paintings were among the boldest shown. Marquet, though, was not concerned with boldness as much as with solidity of forms and harmony of tones. Gradually he developed his own style of harmony and simplicity, with calm surfaces that did away with the restless shimmering of Impressionist paintings. Marquet's style demonstrates both precision and casualness, firmness and vapor, and a unique balance in constantly changing scenes. There is a certain disagreement among scholars regarding the authenticity of the painting in the Hecht collection.