Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), Antwerp, The Port, 1871, oil on panel, signed and dated, 24x41 cm Provenance: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 20-21 May 1901, lot 5, Collection Arthur Fouques-Duparc (1842-1915), Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 8 May 1919, Ventes de la collection Fouques-Duparc, lot 3, (under the title Anvers, un coin de port), Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 7 July 1933, uncat, (under the title Le Port d'Anvers), Devilder, Roubaix, A. Tooth &, Sons, London, Ferdinand Buisson, Paris, The Lefevre Gallery, London, Karl und Faber, Munich, 23.11.1973, lot 228 (under the title Le Port d'Anvers), Knoedler &, Co, New York, Collection of an art lover close to the Picasso heirs Exhibition: Retrospective Exhibition of Boudin, Jongkind, Pissarro, Maison d'Art alsacienne, Mulhouse, 1931, no. 2197, La Flèche d'Or, Arthur Tooth &, Sons, London, 1938, Exhibition of Masterpiece of Painting and of Craftmanship, The Burlington Magazine, Sotheby's Galleries, London 1940, Exposition de Peinture Française XIXe-XXe siècle, E. J. Van Wissenlingh &, Co., Amsterdam, 1949 Bibliography: Robert Schmit, Catalogue raisonné des peintures d'Eugène Boudin, Paris, 1973, vol. I, p. 245, no. 674, ill. b/w. Labels on verso: E. J. Van Wisse [lingh &, Co], Amsterdam. 6983, E. Boudin, Le Port d'Anvers (partially incomplete), The Burlington Magazine Exhibition at Sotheby's, January 1940. No. 59, Monsieur Fernand Buisson. Boudin Retrospective Exhibition, Autumn Salon, 18 and 143 , (partially incomplete), Antwerp. M. Le P['] (handwritten and partially incomplete label), label with handwritten inscription 65/48 Very good condition Old cleaning with minor abrasions Eugène Boudin (1824-1898), Antwerp, The Port, 1871 A key painter in the emergence of modern landscape painting, Eugène Boudin was one of the first artists to assert the autonomy of the atmospheric motif. His work on light and the transience of impressions paved the way for Impressionism. Admired by his peers, Monet considered him his master, as much for the accuracy of his vision as for his freedom of execution. This work was painted in 1871, during Boudin's Belgian sojourn in exile in Brussels during the Franco-Prussian war. He took the opportunity to explore the major port cities of the north, including Antwerp, then one of the most important maritime trading centres in Europe. This subject was of particular importance in his work: rare and historically charged, the port of Antwerp offered Boudin an ideal observation ground, combining urban structure, human activity and vast skies open to atmospheric effects. Boudin captured the moment with remarkable accuracy, not through the precision of his forms, but through the subtle balance between composition, light and air movement. He painted not just what he saw, but what he felt: the moistness of the sky, the salty mist, the quivering of the water. His free, fragmented brushstrokes, dynamic skies and luminous palette made him a profoundly modern artist, breaking with landscape painting that was still stuck in academicism. For him, the atmosphere becomes the main subject, a space of vibration and perception. Unseen on the market for over 50 years, this work has an excellent pedigree, having been shown in several major exhibitions, including the retrospective devoted to Boudin, Jongkind and Pissarro in Mulhouse in 1931, as well as in London, in the renowned galleries Arthur Tooth &, Sons (1938) and Sotheby's (1940), in an exhibition of masterpieces organised with The Burlington Magazine. These exhibitions testify to the work's early recognition on the international market and its place in the history of Boudin's critical reception. Collection of an amateur close to the Picasso heirs Piguet is honoured to be able to offer you remarkable works of exceptional provenance. Lots 37 to 51 and 2932 to 2934 marked in blue in the printed catalogue come from the collection of an art lover who had privileged contacts with some of Pablo Picasso's heirs. As a token of friendship and gratitude, they offered him the two drawings and 7 ceramics by their father that are included in this catalogue. These unique and unpublished works have remained in the family by descent to this day. All these lots can be found on our website Piguet.com and in the e-catalogue dedicated to this collection.