'Cannes Landscape' by Marcel Burtin (circa 1960s)

'Cannes Landscape', oil on canvas, by Marcel Burtin (circa 1960s). Longtime Riviera resident Somerset Maugham coined the memorable description of the Riviera as 'a sunny place for shady people'. He wrote further, 'The shores of the Mediterranean were littered with royalties, lured by the climate, or in exile, or escaping a scandalous past or unsuitable marriage.' All that notwithstanding, the French Riviera continues to be a place of stunning beauty and allure which artist Marcel Burtin captures here in his inimitable style. The Cannes landscape depicted on this canvas is perfectly encapsulated in its vibrant sun-filled colours, its stylised palms and in the overall dynamic energy it radiates. Apply your sunscreen and enjoy the view. In fair condition after an extensive professional cleaning, restoration and re-lining of the canvas. It is newly framed in a tray and signed by the artist in the lower right hand. 

About the Artist: Marcel Burtin (1902-1979) was the archetypal École de Paris artist, immersed in the painterly discourse of form and colour. His career overlapped both the eras of the early Modern masters Picasso and Matisse, as well as the post-war Jeune École de Paris.

The son of a miner, Burtin had been briefly enlisted into the French Navy during the end of the First World War before taking a studio in Paris and initially supporting himself by working at the Renault car factory. He became a close friend of Edouard Pignon and together were associated with the "Groupe de la Jeune Peinture". He held his first major exhibition in 1945 at the prestigious Galerie Denise René, curated by André Lhote. The same year he also exhibited at Galerie Visconti, and the critic Frank Elgar wrote of Burtin as being one of the most talented artists of the generation. In 1946 Burtin exhibited at the Galerie Vendome, where a painting was bought by the Musée d’Art Moderne.

Burtin exhibited extensively internationally including in 1947 with Hartung, Singier, Le Moal, Gischia and Pignon in Peintres d'Aujourd'hui at Galerie Moos, Geneva; and with Picasso, Matisse, de Stael at the Waddington Gallery in Dublin; and also the Galerie Apollo in Brussels; while in Paris he held a solo show at Galerie de France. In 1948 he showed at the French-Swedish Gallery in Stockholm; and Galeria d’Arte d’Oggi in Florence; in 1949 the Musée d’État, Luxemburg; Galerie Illum, Copenhagen; and 1951 Sao Paulo. In 1952 he curated the exhibition “Transposition Poetique”, at the Palais de New York in Paris, which included work by Léger, Villon, Laurens, and Singier. In 1956, he exhibited with Picasso and Leger in Mexico. In 1957 he had a major solo show at the prestigious Galerie Charpentier in Paris. In 1958 he participated in Les Grands et Jeunes d’Aujourd’hui at the Musée d’Art Moderne, Paris, and again in 1960.

The artist is represented in various museums of Modern Art including the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris (Ref. Hanina Fine Arts, London).

Dimensions with frame:

H 82.5 cm / 32.5"

W 56 cm / 22"

Dimensions without frame:

H 81 cm / 31.9"

W 54 cm / 21.3"