Maxime Maufra

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Madame Caroline Durand-Ruel Godfrey dated 20 October 2016, and is to be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné currently in preparation.

PROVENANCE
Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris (no. 8963, purchased from the artist 8 March 1909)

Private collection of Durand-Ruel, circa 1922

Private collection of Mr. Bouchery, 14 January, 1941

Port Haliguen is a small marina in the south of Brittany, whose sheltered position on Quiberon Bay offers protection from the caprices of the open Atlantic Ocean, making it an ideal destination for pleasure sailing, cruises, passenger transport and fishing. Even in Maufra’s time the quaint town, with its peaceful harbor and sandy beaches, was a popular summer destination where artists and the well-to-do could mingle. Maufra painted several views of the port during his frequent travels to Brittany, a favorite destination for fellow impressionist artists.

Maxime Maufra (17 May 1861 – 23 May 1918) was a French landscape and marine painter, etcher and lithographer.

Maufra first began painting at 18. He was encouraged to do so by two artists from Nantes, the brothers Charles Leduc and Alfred Leduc, and by the landscape painter Charles Le Roux.

However, he did not fully embrace his painting career right away. He remained in the first place a businessman and only painted in his spare time from 1884 to 1890. During this period, Maufra discovered the work of the Impressionists. He also displayed his works at the Paris Salon of 1886.

In 1890, Maufra decided to give up business and to become a full-time painter. He left Nantes for Pont-Aven in the Finistère department of Brittany, where he was met Paul Gauguin and Paul Sérusier. Maufra had his first solo exhibition in Paris in 1894, at Le Barc de Toutteville. He subsequently exhibited with Durand-Ruel, to whom he remained under contract for the rest of his life.

Returning from Brittany, Maufra was the first painter to take up residence in the Bateau-Lavoir in Montmartre, a famous Parisian residence for artists. He returned to Brittany each year, in particular to the Quiberon region. He found inspiration for his art in his travels which took him to the Dauphiné (1904), the Midi (1912), Algeria (1913) and Savoy (1914).