'The Town Hall of Les Baux-de-Provence' by Yves Brayer (1946)

'The Town Hall of Les Baux-de-Provence', oil on canvas, by Yves Brayer (1946). Having spent several months a year in Provence, the artist created dozens of works of Les Baux-de-Provence and surrounds. This serene work depicts the former town hall on an early winter evening when village life is slower. A single person is in view as he approaches 'la mairie' at the end of the street. Les-Baux is located in the Alpilles mountains atop a rocky outcrop that is crowned with a ruined castle overlooking the plains to the south. Its name refers to its site: in Provençal, bauç is a rocky spur. From the village name the word bauxite was coined for aluminium ore when first discovered there by geologist Pierre Berthier in 1821. Named after the province of Provence, it is considered one of the most beautiful villages in France and has over 1.5 million visitors per year although it has only 22 residents in the upper part of the commune and 436 for the entire commune. The painting is in good condition and has been newly framed with a French-style linen slip. Signed by the artist in the lower left hand: 'Yves Brayer - Les Baux 1946'. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying this listing. Upon request, a short video may be provided. This gallery holds several works by the artist available on this platform. Yves Brayer's works command increasingly higher prices at auction therefore providing the collector not only a beautiful work but an investment as well. 

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 47 cm / 18.5"

W 39 cm / 15.4"

Dimensions without Frame:

H 35 cm / 13.8"

W 27 cm / 10.6"