Paul SIGNAC (1863-1935)
1888 Portrieux
2018 SOLD for $ 13.8M by Christie's
Paul Signac meets Monet and Seurat in 1884. Having the vocation to become a theoretician, he prefers to follow the rigorous theories of Seurat on composition and colors. The perfect cooperation between both artists is facilitated by their different temperament : Seurat is a solitary and Signac a proselyte.
Seurat finishes his Dimanche après-midi à l'Ile de la Grande Jatte in 1886. For the first time he had applied in large size his understanding of Chevreul's theories on the persistence of colors. The preparation was long and tedious and the dull result is mostly suitable for the hermetic social message of the artist.
During summers Signac and Seurat work in different villages without meeting each other. These sessions are however carefully prepared and when they come back in their workshops the comparison of their results confirms the consistency of their practices.
Signac pushes Seurat to an observation of bright lights. He paves that way, in 1886 in the Seine valley, in 1887 at Collioure and in 1888 in Brittany at Portrieux. During these three summers Signac improves his pointillism. At the same time his landscape becomes minimalist to better exploit the confrontation of colors.
On May 8, 2018, Christie's sold for $ 13.8M as lot 21 a view in Portrieux. This oil on canvas 60 x 92 cm may be considered as the culmination of the 1888 summer season by Signac, with a composition dominated throughout its lower part by the almost monochrome yellow expanse of the sandy beach, contrasting with the pointillist blue of the sea.
Signac will find in 1892 a brighter sun in Saint-Tropez. The view of the houses with their reflections in the sea, 47 x 55 cm, was sold for $ 10.7M by Sotheby's on May 9, 2016.
Pointillism was not highly spectacular except in an extreme yellow or orange. Signac and van Rysselberghe are perhaps the only ones to have understood and briefly applied such observation.
Seurat finishes his Dimanche après-midi à l'Ile de la Grande Jatte in 1886. For the first time he had applied in large size his understanding of Chevreul's theories on the persistence of colors. The preparation was long and tedious and the dull result is mostly suitable for the hermetic social message of the artist.
During summers Signac and Seurat work in different villages without meeting each other. These sessions are however carefully prepared and when they come back in their workshops the comparison of their results confirms the consistency of their practices.
Signac pushes Seurat to an observation of bright lights. He paves that way, in 1886 in the Seine valley, in 1887 at Collioure and in 1888 in Brittany at Portrieux. During these three summers Signac improves his pointillism. At the same time his landscape becomes minimalist to better exploit the confrontation of colors.
On May 8, 2018, Christie's sold for $ 13.8M as lot 21 a view in Portrieux. This oil on canvas 60 x 92 cm may be considered as the culmination of the 1888 summer season by Signac, with a composition dominated throughout its lower part by the almost monochrome yellow expanse of the sandy beach, contrasting with the pointillist blue of the sea.
Signac will find in 1892 a brighter sun in Saint-Tropez. The view of the houses with their reflections in the sea, 47 x 55 cm, was sold for $ 10.7M by Sotheby's on May 9, 2016.
Pointillism was not highly spectacular except in an extreme yellow or orange. Signac and van Rysselberghe are perhaps the only ones to have understood and briefly applied such observation.
A strong $13,812,500 price achieved for this #PaulSignac composition tonight @ChristiesInc pic.twitter.com/uJxX5nO4BZ
— Art Observed (@ArtObserved) May 9, 2018
1891 Concarneau
2022 SOLD for $ 39M by Christie's
Paul Signac had succeeded in 1884 in convincing Georges Seurat that intense lights bring a much better effect to the divisionniste technique. Seurat names this variant the chromo-luminarisme and tries it in 1885 at seaside.
While Seurat had selected a resort in Normandy, Signac, a great lover of yachting, prefers Brittany. A 60 x 92 cm view of the sunny seaside at Portrieux painted in 1888 by Signac was sold for $ 13.8M by Christie's on May 6, 2018.
In March 1891 Seurat suddenly dies at 31 years old. Signac, very shocked, tries unsuccessfully to promote the art of his late friend. He leaves Paris in summer to change his mind with his new boat, the Olympia.
Signac painted in Concarneau a series of five oil on canvas in pointillist style collectively titled La Mer : Les Barques. Each of them was subtitled with the name of a musical movement as a direct reference to harmony : scherzo, larghetto, allegro maestoso, adagio, presto finale. The gently rippling water reminds the lines of a music sheet.
The famous city walls appear in the scherzo. The neat composition had been influenced by a recent exhibition of Japanese prints including seascapes by Hiroshige.
The Larghetto features the calm in the morning. It was sold for $ 39M from a lower estimate of $ 28M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 6. The gently rippling sea is animated from foreground to horizon by the yellow, orange and white sails of the sardine boats, a speciality of that fishing village. Seagulls fly in the clear sky.
While Seurat had selected a resort in Normandy, Signac, a great lover of yachting, prefers Brittany. A 60 x 92 cm view of the sunny seaside at Portrieux painted in 1888 by Signac was sold for $ 13.8M by Christie's on May 6, 2018.
In March 1891 Seurat suddenly dies at 31 years old. Signac, very shocked, tries unsuccessfully to promote the art of his late friend. He leaves Paris in summer to change his mind with his new boat, the Olympia.
Signac painted in Concarneau a series of five oil on canvas in pointillist style collectively titled La Mer : Les Barques. Each of them was subtitled with the name of a musical movement as a direct reference to harmony : scherzo, larghetto, allegro maestoso, adagio, presto finale. The gently rippling water reminds the lines of a music sheet.
The famous city walls appear in the scherzo. The neat composition had been influenced by a recent exhibition of Japanese prints including seascapes by Hiroshige.
The Larghetto features the calm in the morning. It was sold for $ 39M from a lower estimate of $ 28M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 6. The gently rippling sea is animated from foreground to horizon by the yellow, orange and white sails of the sardine boats, a speciality of that fishing village. Seagulls fly in the clear sky.
#AuctionRecord From the Paul G. Allen Collection Paul Signac’s ‘Concarneau, calme du matin’
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) November 10, 2022
set an auction record for the artist with a price realized of $39.32 million pic.twitter.com/OH4hylruuC
Saint-Tropez
Intro
A quest for independence in art and thought is typical of the late nineteenth century. Georges Seurat is a great experimenter of the artistic language. Beside him Paul Signac developed the technique of pointillisme (dot painting). Seurat died prematurely in 1891.
The compositions by Signac have the same geometric rigors as those by his friend, with a total respect for the perspective. Unlike the Impressionnistes, they do not tolerate a freedom of the brush. Signac works painstakingly in his studio from his watercolor sketches.
He follows the psychophysiological ideas of Charles Henry which are an application to art of the theory of the color spectrum by Chevreul. The landscape is reconstructed by particles of pure color juxtaposed without overlapping. The action of the retina reconstructs the scenery in its full brightness.
Paul Signac is independent in his art and in his life. Tempted by the anarchist theories, he enjoys sailing off the coasts of France aboard his small boat, the Olympia. He also helps the creativity of his fellow artists and is one of the most active organizers of the Salon des Indépendants, an exhibition of the avant-gardes that is held every year in Paris.
In 1892, the Olympia brings its sailor to Saint-Tropez which is only accessible by sea at that time. The sun of the Mediterranean Midi dazzles him as it had amazed Van Gogh. Signac buys a house where he invites his many friends. Thus was born the intense artistic life of the village, waiting to be taken over from 1956 by the movie stars.
The compositions by Signac have the same geometric rigors as those by his friend, with a total respect for the perspective. Unlike the Impressionnistes, they do not tolerate a freedom of the brush. Signac works painstakingly in his studio from his watercolor sketches.
He follows the psychophysiological ideas of Charles Henry which are an application to art of the theory of the color spectrum by Chevreul. The landscape is reconstructed by particles of pure color juxtaposed without overlapping. The action of the retina reconstructs the scenery in its full brightness.
Paul Signac is independent in his art and in his life. Tempted by the anarchist theories, he enjoys sailing off the coasts of France aboard his small boat, the Olympia. He also helps the creativity of his fellow artists and is one of the most active organizers of the Salon des Indépendants, an exhibition of the avant-gardes that is held every year in Paris.
In 1892, the Olympia brings its sailor to Saint-Tropez which is only accessible by sea at that time. The sun of the Mediterranean Midi dazzles him as it had amazed Van Gogh. Signac buys a house where he invites his many friends. Thus was born the intense artistic life of the village, waiting to be taken over from 1956 by the movie stars.
1
1892 Le Port au Soleil Couchant
2019 SOLD for £ 19.5M by Christie's
Pointillism is the painstaking process by which Seurat and Signac apply their Divisionniste theories : intertwined colors generate an optical illusion of homogeneity which is more vibrant than a flat surface. Signac is experimenting with the brightest colors and tries to convince Seurat. Van Rysselberghe will however be the only one to follow him in that way.
In 1891 Seurat suddenly dies at 31 years old. Signac, very shocked, tries unsuccessfully to promote the art of his friend. In the same year Cross settles in Le Lavandou for therapeutic reasons. He advises Signac to come back to vigor under the sun of the South.
A great lover of yachting, Paul Signac leaves Brittany in the following year and sails to the Mediterranean Sea through the Canal du Midi. He is dazzled by Saint-Tropez, a small fishing village that is at that time only accessible by boat. He settles therein permanently. The beauty of this place isolated from the rest of the world satisfies his quest for an anarchist paradise on earth.
Signac immediately applies his artistic theories to the shiny sun of Saint-Tropez. On February 27, 2019, Christie's sold for £ 19.5M as lot 26 an oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm painted in 1892, identified in his ledger as Opus 236 with the title "Le Port au soleil couchant". The splendid colors are enhanced in naive style outlines in the taste of Seurat.
In 1891 Seurat suddenly dies at 31 years old. Signac, very shocked, tries unsuccessfully to promote the art of his friend. In the same year Cross settles in Le Lavandou for therapeutic reasons. He advises Signac to come back to vigor under the sun of the South.
A great lover of yachting, Paul Signac leaves Brittany in the following year and sails to the Mediterranean Sea through the Canal du Midi. He is dazzled by Saint-Tropez, a small fishing village that is at that time only accessible by boat. He settles therein permanently. The beauty of this place isolated from the rest of the world satisfies his quest for an anarchist paradise on earth.
Signac immediately applies his artistic theories to the shiny sun of Saint-Tropez. On February 27, 2019, Christie's sold for £ 19.5M as lot 26 an oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm painted in 1892, identified in his ledger as Opus 236 with the title "Le Port au soleil couchant". The splendid colors are enhanced in naive style outlines in the taste of Seurat.
Christie’s Says Signac Record Should Fall in February https://t.co/kiK5SLH1qb pic.twitter.com/Nn3ZvtUoCf
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) October 26, 2018
2
1892 Maisons du Port
2016 SOLD for $ 10.7M by Sotheby's
On May 9, 2016, Sotheby's sold for $ 10.7M for a lower estimate of $ 8M a view of the waterfront of Saint-Tropez, oil on canvas 47 x 55 cm painted by Paul Signac in 1892, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
The picture taken in full midday under hot sunshine is one of the best demonstrators of the expressive possibilities of the pointillisme.
That Opus 237 is titled Maisons du Port, Saint-Tropez. By comparison with the larger opus 236, the artist applies here a less poetic drawing where the too visible dots blur the desire for a topographic realism.
The picture taken in full midday under hot sunshine is one of the best demonstrators of the expressive possibilities of the pointillisme.
That Opus 237 is titled Maisons du Port, Saint-Tropez. By comparison with the larger opus 236, the artist applies here a less poetic drawing where the too visible dots blur the desire for a topographic realism.
#AuctionUpdate: Signac’s stunning pointillist view of Saint-Tropez sells for $10.7m #SothebysImpMod pic.twitter.com/t3L4j7La3x
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) May 9, 2016
3
1896 Une Calanque
2023 SOLD for £ 8M by Christie's
Paul Signac permanently settles in Saint-Tropez in 1892, the year after Seurat's death. The blazing sun enables him to improve the brightness of his landscape views following his successful trials in Brittany in the previous decade.
Saint-Tropez is decidedly Signac's paradise on earth. In 1896 he considers the soft hues of dawn on the calanque des Caroubiers in the vicinity of the village. Using a strict pointillist technique as it had been developed by Seurat and himself, he renders the quiet atmosphere and the reflection of the pines in water by a soft impression of very light blue, lilac and orange, and the deep violet shadows.
This oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm was sold for £ 8M from a lower estimate of £ 5.5M by Christie's on June 28, 2023, lot 32.
Saint-Tropez is decidedly Signac's paradise on earth. In 1896 he considers the soft hues of dawn on the calanque des Caroubiers in the vicinity of the village. Using a strict pointillist technique as it had been developed by Seurat and himself, he renders the quiet atmosphere and the reflection of the pines in water by a soft impression of very light blue, lilac and orange, and the deep violet shadows.
This oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm was sold for £ 8M from a lower estimate of £ 5.5M by Christie's on June 28, 2023, lot 32.
#AuctionUpdate Paul #Signac's 'Calanque des Canoubiers (Pointe de Bamer), Saint-Tropez' achieved £8,015,000. Bathed in the day's first glow the painting expertly captures the serenity of a Mediterranean morning: https://t.co/xqcfNpAOVT pic.twitter.com/9GWG87lQmr
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) June 28, 2023
1905 Saint-Georges
2025 SOLD for $ 8.1M by Sotheby's
Paul Signac goes to Venice for the first time in 1905. As a keen sailor, the boat activity in the city makes him happy. He makes 200 sketches during that stay and seven paintings after coming back in his studio in Saint-Tropez.
A view of San Giorgio Maggiore from the Riva degli Schiavoni features a dazzling reflection of the sun in the shimmering sea in the incomparable Venetian sunset atmosphere. It is processed with an improved divisionniste technique made in mosaic-like impasto strokes departing from his signature dots for mingling the blue, yellow, green, pink and milky white.
This oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm was executed by Signac in 1905. Treasured since 1907 in only two successive private collections, it was sold for $ 8.1M by Sotheby's on May 13, 2025, lot 13. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Signac returned to Venice in 1908 while Monet was in that city. Monet could not have ignored the exhibition of the Signac views of Venice at the Salon des Indépendants in 1905 and at the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune in 1907.
A view of San Giorgio Maggiore from the Riva degli Schiavoni features a dazzling reflection of the sun in the shimmering sea in the incomparable Venetian sunset atmosphere. It is processed with an improved divisionniste technique made in mosaic-like impasto strokes departing from his signature dots for mingling the blue, yellow, green, pink and milky white.
This oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm was executed by Signac in 1905. Treasured since 1907 in only two successive private collections, it was sold for $ 8.1M by Sotheby's on May 13, 2025, lot 13. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Signac returned to Venice in 1908 while Monet was in that city. Monet could not have ignored the exhibition of the Signac views of Venice at the Salon des Indépendants in 1905 and at the Galerie Bernheim-Jeune in 1907.
#AuctionUpdate: Among Paul Signac’s most dazzling landscapes, 'Saint-Georges. Couchant (Venise)' achieves $8.1 million at auction tonight. #SothebysModern pic.twitter.com/PaDOq2KzRD
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) May 13, 2025
1906 Le Rayon Vert
2024 SOLD for £ 7.7M by Sotheby's
In art, Paul Signac was an influencer. He had supported van Gogh in his outdoor painting sessions along the Seine river. He had decided Seurat to use bright colors in his newly developed pointilliste techniques and was a mentor for van Rysselberghe.
Matisse visited him in Saint-Tropez in 1904. At that time Signac's pointillisme had shifted from tiny to broad mosaic-like brushstrokes with a bright priming left visible around the colors. Matisse then painted in the pure palette of the rainbow his breakthrough Luxe, calme et volupté which was the cornerstone of the development of Fauvisme in the 1905 Salon d'Automne.
Signac continued to interpret the real colors of nature in his own style, in parallel to Monet. He now included the meteorological effects such as a rainbow in Venice in 1905, three years before Monet's visit in that city.
A painting executed by Signac in 1906 manages to interpret in his beloved bay of Saint-Tropez the ephemeral green ray effect which appears in specific conditions when the sun is just below the horizon at sunrise or sunset. The theme had been the subject of a pseudo-scientific novel by Jules Verne in 1882.
Le Rayon vert, oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm, was sold for £ 7.7M from a lower estimate of £ 5M by Sotheby's on March 6, 2024, lot 25.
Matisse visited him in Saint-Tropez in 1904. At that time Signac's pointillisme had shifted from tiny to broad mosaic-like brushstrokes with a bright priming left visible around the colors. Matisse then painted in the pure palette of the rainbow his breakthrough Luxe, calme et volupté which was the cornerstone of the development of Fauvisme in the 1905 Salon d'Automne.
Signac continued to interpret the real colors of nature in his own style, in parallel to Monet. He now included the meteorological effects such as a rainbow in Venice in 1905, three years before Monet's visit in that city.
A painting executed by Signac in 1906 manages to interpret in his beloved bay of Saint-Tropez the ephemeral green ray effect which appears in specific conditions when the sun is just below the horizon at sunrise or sunset. The theme had been the subject of a pseudo-scientific novel by Jules Verne in 1882.
Le Rayon vert, oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm, was sold for £ 7.7M from a lower estimate of £ 5M by Sotheby's on March 6, 2024, lot 25.
#AuctionUpdate Dated 1906, the mesmerizing 'Saint-Tropez. Le rayon vert' by master of Pointillism Paul Signac reaches £7.75 million. pic.twitter.com/RersnXTkU5
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) March 6, 2024
1907 La Corne d'Or
1
2019 SOLD for $ 16.2M by Sotheby's
Around 1900, Paul Signac reuses pointillist techniques, but his style has changed, becoming more emotional. Socially engaged, he is naturally influenced by all modern trends but his art is profoundly original. Much involved in the circles of artists, he is a co-founder in 1884 of the Société des Artistes Indépendants and its president from 1909 to 1934.
Henri Matisse was a member of the Société des Artistes Indépendants since 1901. In July 1904, the Matisse family is visiting Signac in his Saint-Tropez home. Matisse is not interested in the physiological theories of colors, and the two artists quarrel. After that stay, their mutual influence will become fertile.
With Luxe, Calme et Volupté painted in the fall of 1904 and acquired by Signac, Matisse tries the pure colors of the rainbow with a divisionist touch.
Matisse had learned from Signac the mosaic-like arrangement of pigment. Signac re-used that technique for his views of Venice in 1905.
Passionate about sailing, Paul Signac immerses himself in the atmosphere of the ports. In the spring of 1907, for visiting Constantinople, he made an exception to his practice by traveling by train. He probably feared for the safety of a private boat in this military port.
He spent six weeks sketching in the atmosphere of the Golden Horn at different times of the day,. with its minarets that go up to the sky. Back in France, he expresses his delight in a series of oil paintings. In the foreground, sea and boats symbolize the activity of the city.
The views of the Golden Horn painted by Signac in 1907 after his stay in Constantinople display Matisse's Fauvist principles while adding his signature search for an extreme brightness. Signac's colors become warmer.
He takes a canvas in standard '50', 89 x 116 cm, which is the largest size compatible with the painstaking of his pointillist technique. After a month of effort, surprised by the unusual difficulty of this work, he scraps a first painting and starts again from scratch.
The second version is satisfactory. Signac retrieves the joy of expressing a great sun, as in Saint-Tropez fifteen years earlier, but this time he replaces the blinding yellow by a subtle palette of pinks and purples. Even better : he renounces for this view to a strict division between the color dots, accepting a blending inspired by Turner's art.
This painting is by far the most achieved of the nine or ten oils on canvas of Constantinople painted by Signac in 1907. In 1937, two years after his death, it was bought at auction by his daughter and her husband. It was sold for £ 8.8M by Christie's on February 7, 2012 and for $ 16.2M by Sotheby's on November 12, 2019, lot 21.
Henri Matisse was a member of the Société des Artistes Indépendants since 1901. In July 1904, the Matisse family is visiting Signac in his Saint-Tropez home. Matisse is not interested in the physiological theories of colors, and the two artists quarrel. After that stay, their mutual influence will become fertile.
With Luxe, Calme et Volupté painted in the fall of 1904 and acquired by Signac, Matisse tries the pure colors of the rainbow with a divisionist touch.
Matisse had learned from Signac the mosaic-like arrangement of pigment. Signac re-used that technique for his views of Venice in 1905.
Passionate about sailing, Paul Signac immerses himself in the atmosphere of the ports. In the spring of 1907, for visiting Constantinople, he made an exception to his practice by traveling by train. He probably feared for the safety of a private boat in this military port.
He spent six weeks sketching in the atmosphere of the Golden Horn at different times of the day,. with its minarets that go up to the sky. Back in France, he expresses his delight in a series of oil paintings. In the foreground, sea and boats symbolize the activity of the city.
The views of the Golden Horn painted by Signac in 1907 after his stay in Constantinople display Matisse's Fauvist principles while adding his signature search for an extreme brightness. Signac's colors become warmer.
He takes a canvas in standard '50', 89 x 116 cm, which is the largest size compatible with the painstaking of his pointillist technique. After a month of effort, surprised by the unusual difficulty of this work, he scraps a first painting and starts again from scratch.
The second version is satisfactory. Signac retrieves the joy of expressing a great sun, as in Saint-Tropez fifteen years earlier, but this time he replaces the blinding yellow by a subtle palette of pinks and purples. Even better : he renounces for this view to a strict division between the color dots, accepting a blending inspired by Turner's art.
This painting is by far the most achieved of the nine or ten oils on canvas of Constantinople painted by Signac in 1907. In 1937, two years after his death, it was bought at auction by his daughter and her husband. It was sold for £ 8.8M by Christie's on February 7, 2012 and for $ 16.2M by Sotheby's on November 12, 2019, lot 21.
2
2020 SOLD for £ 7.6M by Sotheby's
On February 4, 2020, Sotheby's sold at lot 12 for £ 7.6M from a lower estimate of £ 5Ma view of the Golden Horn by Signac, recently returned by the French government to the heirs of a collector despoiled in 1940. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
A model example by its confrontation of the pink and purple morning mist with the bright colors of boats and lodges, this oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm had been selected by the artist in 1908 to be exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants.
From the same series, an oil on canvas 73 x 93 cm was sold for £ 6.2M by Christie's on June 20, 2012. An oil on canvas 81 x 66 cm with a different composition, centered on a tall ship, was sold for $ 4.7M by Sotheby's on November 7, 2007. An oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm painted in 1909 was sold for £ 4.8M by Christie's on June 18, 2007.
A model example by its confrontation of the pink and purple morning mist with the bright colors of boats and lodges, this oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm had been selected by the artist in 1908 to be exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants.
From the same series, an oil on canvas 73 x 93 cm was sold for £ 6.2M by Christie's on June 20, 2012. An oil on canvas 81 x 66 cm with a different composition, centered on a tall ship, was sold for $ 4.7M by Sotheby's on November 7, 2007. An oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm painted in 1909 was sold for £ 4.8M by Christie's on June 18, 2007.
1917 Antibes
2024 SOLD for $ 10M by Sotheby's
Paul Signac decided to be an artist in 1880 after an exhibition of early works by Monet. Monet's views of Antibes in 1888 are reversely influenced by Seurat's pointillism. A dawn view of Antibes by Monet was sold for $ 13.3M by Sotheby's on November 16, 2021, lot 33.
Residing since 1892 in Saint-Tropez, Signac logically visits Antibes in 1903 with Monet in mind. Antibes, soir, oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm painted in his signature pointillist style of sun bathed landscapes, was sold for $ 7.7M by Sotheby's on May 14, 2019, lot 7. It shows the Château Grimaldi from the pointe de Bacon.
Signac moves to Antibes in 1913. His creative activity was lowered during the war while so many of his friends were in the trenches.
Nevertheless a view of Antibes was executed in 1917 from the same viewpoint in the footsteps of Monet. The artist retrieved therein the pointillist technique of his youth, but in softer hues providing a great brightness.
This oil on canvas 74 x 92 cm was sold for $ 10M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2024, lot 112. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
Residing since 1892 in Saint-Tropez, Signac logically visits Antibes in 1903 with Monet in mind. Antibes, soir, oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm painted in his signature pointillist style of sun bathed landscapes, was sold for $ 7.7M by Sotheby's on May 14, 2019, lot 7. It shows the Château Grimaldi from the pointe de Bacon.
Signac moves to Antibes in 1913. His creative activity was lowered during the war while so many of his friends were in the trenches.
Nevertheless a view of Antibes was executed in 1917 from the same viewpoint in the footsteps of Monet. The artist retrieved therein the pointillist technique of his youth, but in softer hues providing a great brightness.
This oil on canvas 74 x 92 cm was sold for $ 10M from a lower estimate of $ 6M by Sotheby's on November 18, 2024, lot 112. Please watch the short video shared by the auction house.
#AuctionUpdate: Paul Signac’s ‘Antibes. La Pointe de Bacon’ has sold for $10M. #SothebysModern pic.twitter.com/siAArP5AZv
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) November 19, 2024
