Lot 203 D

This painting was formerly owned by the renowned art dealer Ambroise Vollard, with whom Louis Valtat was under contract from 1900 to 1912. Valtat is considered one of the pioneers of Fauvism. Although he never became a member of the group, he exhibited together with the Fauves at the 1905 “Salon d'Automne”. In 1909 Valtat once more spent his summer in Normandy, in Port-en-Bessin and Arromanches, where the painting could possibly have been created. At that time Valtat had already long since renounced the pointillist technique of painting. The primary focus of his work always lies in the colouristic treatment. Also particularly charming in the case of our painting is the contrast of the rather naturalistically depicted house and the wall, which has dissolved into almost abstract tonalities, with the flora growing before them, which powerfully and vibrantly confronts the viewer.