Lot number 2259 - Auction 150
HAVENANSICHT

EUGÈNE BOUDIN (ATTRIBUTED) 1824 Honfleur - 1898 Deauville HARBOR VIEW Oil on canvas, lined. 22 x 35 cm (frame 32 x 45 cm). Signed lower right. Framed. Eugène Boudin is regarded as one of the most important precursors of Impressionism and among the first plein air painters. Born in 1824 in Honfleur, the son of a harbor pilot, he developed an early connection to the sea, working as a cabin boy on steam ferries between Le Havre and Honfleur. In 1835, his family moved to Le Havre, where Boudin worked in his father's shop and was introduced to the world of art. Influenced by artists such as Constant Troyon, Jean-François Millet, and Eugène Isabey, Boudin began painting himself and, from the age of 22, devoted himself entirely to his art. Supported by a scholarship from the city of Le Havre, he studied in Paris from 1851. His travels took him to Flanders, southern France, Venice, and repeatedly to Brittany, while he always remained closely connected to his native Normandy. Boudin was a founding member of the artist colony at Ferme Saint-Siméon near Honfleur, where he collaborated with prominent painters including Gustave Courbet, Claude Monet, and Johan Barthold Jongkind. He was a key mentor and advocate of plein air painting. From 1859 onwards, Boudin regularly exhibited at the Paris Salon and participated in the first Impressionist exhibition at the studio of photographer Nadar in 1874. In 1881, he formed a lifelong friendship with his pupil Louis Braquaval. In 1892, Boudin was inducted into the Legion of Honour in recognition of his artistic achievements. He passed away in 1898 in Deauville and was buried at the Saint-Vincent Cemetery in Montmartre, Paris. Provenance: Estate of Dr. Jean Michaux.