The Pont Neuf, 1906
oil on canvas
50.2 x 61.3 cm (19.75" x 24.125")

Albert Marquet (1875-1947). National Gallery of Art, Washington.


Marquet is usually, if not always, grouped with the Fauves - the wild beasts - Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck, Braque, and others who, along with Marquet, exhibited in the Salon d'Automne in Paris in 1905. He seems to be seen as a minor member that group, and a minor painter in general, and particularly minor in comparison to his friend Matisse.

Myself, I've never regarded him as minor in anyway, and despite liking Matisse a great deal, I've always preferred Marquet. There's something to be said for understatement and simplicity, something that I find quite appealing. I never tire of Marquet. He always improves my outlook on the world.

A later work by Marquet (1945) is immediately below.