Albert Marquet

Biography of Albert Marquet ( 1875-1947 )

From a modest background, Albert Marquet was born on March 26, 1875 to Joseph Marquet, a railroad employee of Vosges origin, and Marguerite Deyres, a native of the Arcachon basin. A clubfoot and poor eyesight kept him away from the other children's games, but from childhood he found refuge in drawing and contemplating the boats in the port of Bordeaux. His mother, who supported his artistic vocation, sold a plot of land to finance their move to Paris. At the age of 15, the young Marquet and his family moved to Paris. In 1892, he entered the École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs, where he met Matisse, who became and remained a faithful friend.

From 1895 to 1899, the two friends attended the École des Beaux-Arts. Marquet attended Gustave Moreau's studio in 1897, and in 1900, Marquet and Matisse worked together on the decoration of the Grand Palais for the Paris Universal Exhibition. In 1901, he exhibited ten paintings at the Salon des Indépendants. In 1902, he exhibited at the young Berthe Weill gallery with Flandrin and Matisse, and at the brand-new Salon d'Automne in 1903.
At the 1905 Salon d'Automne, he exhibited with the group of Matisse, Derain and Vlaminck, and took part in the “Cage aux Fauves” scandal. The same year, he began his series of vues de quais and was taken under contract by Eugène Druet, who bought his entire output. By 1906, the painter's growing reputation forced the Druet gallery to share its contract with the Bernheim-Jeune gallery. From then on, Marquet was able to make a living from his art.

He traveled extensively, first to Normandy, then to the Côte d'Azur, London, Italy and Germany. From 1920 onwards, he spent many years in Algiers, where he met Marcelle Martinet, his future wife. From 1919 to 1939, he spent time in Poissy, Triel and Méricourt, among other places, where he painted many landscapes of the Seine.
During the war, the Marquet couple were forced to move to Algiers from September 1940 until the Liberation, after the painter had signed the manifesto of intellectuals against Nazism. On his return to Paris, he died two years later, having refused the honors offered to him, both the Légion d'Honneur and admission to the Institut.

Albert Marquet was a landscape master with a sensitive eye. A friend of Matisse and Derain, he retained a sense of color and light from his Fauvist period. He was part of the post-impressionist generation that invented a new aesthetic at the beginning of the 20th century. One of his favorite subjects was the depiction of ports, the Seine and quays, at different times of day and in different seasons, showing a particular interest in gray, rainy and mysterious atmospheres. Albert Marquet developed his own style, influenced by a variety of impressions from his travels. He used pure colors and loved to paint the reflection of light on water.