'The Mouth of the Little Rhone' by Yves Brayer (circa 1960s)

'The Mouth of the Little Rhone', oil on canvas, by Yves Brayer (circa 1960s). The Petit Rhône, one of the two arms of the Rhône delta, marks the boundary between the Camargue and the region known as the Petite Camargue. Brayer loved this region of France and painted it widely. In this depiction, a fisherman arranges his nets on the boat for drying after a day at sea. Nearby, one finds the Camargue region which is a vast, swampy delta, very exotic, with tall marsh grasses where pink flamingos, black bulls and white horses roam freely. The painting is in good overall condition and is newly framed with a French-style linen slip. There is some evident but minor cracking in some parts of the paint commensurate with age. The artwork was recently cleaned and preserved by an art restoration professional. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying this listing. Upon request a video will be provided. The artist signed the work in the lower left hand and titled the painting on the reverse side of the canvas. Provenance: Paris-based auction house and previously through the Galerie André Weil in 1965.

About the Artist: Yves Brayer (1907-1990) stands among the most celebrated modern French painters. Although he was faithful to the figurative tradition, his ample métier was enriched by his personal vision. His oeuvre proved to be very diverse, for besides his well-known landscapes, he also painted vast canvases, portraits and still lifes. A lover of Mediterranean landscapes, Yves Brayer sojourned in Morocco, Spain and Italy before settling down in Provence. There he was enchanted by the diverse and architectural forms of the Alpilles mountains, and by the vast expanse of the Camargue region with its ubiquitous white horses and black bulls. From then on he spent several months each year working in Provence. He also travelled internationally where he was quick to grasp the unique rhythm and light of each country. When he was in Paris in 1942, Jacques Rouché appointed Brayer costume-and-set designer for a ballet at the Opera de Paris. 

Brayer passed away in Paris in 1990. A large collection of his paintings are on permanent display both at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Cordes, France and at the Musée Yves Brayer in Les-Baux-de-Provence, as well as many regional museums in his home country. In the United States, Yves Brayer's works form part of the collection of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, among others. 

Dimensions with Frame:

H 76 cm / 29.9"

W 103 cm / 40.6"

Dimensions without Frame:

H 65 cm / 25.6"

W 92 cm / 36.2"