(Paris 1883–1955 Dax)

Rue de l’Abreuvoir à Montmartre. Circa 1903/04.

Oil on canvas.

Signed lower centre: Maurice, Utrillo, V.

61 × 49.7 cm.

The work is registered in the archive of the Association Maurice Utrillo and is documented on the homepage. A certificate can be issued at the request of the buyer.

Provenance:
- Private collection France, owned by the same familiy for three generations.
- Auction Aponem, Génicourt, 15.6.2022, lot 114.
- German collection, acquired at the above auction.

The present painting by Maurice Utrillo is a very special work: Utrillo was a mere 20 years old when he painted it. As the son of Suzanne Valadon, herself an artist and model for the likes of Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec, he had grown up roaming the streets surrounding the hill of Montmartre. Thus, it is not the subject of the work that is surprising – these streets, and particularly the Parisian cathedral in the Montmartre district, remained favourite motifs throughout his life – it is the fascinating perspective and the composition that are remarkable. The white dome of Sacré-Cœur is not centrally positioned within the composition; instead, it is situated to the side and is even partially occluded by a large green shrub on the right. Nonetheless, the viewer’s focus is inevitably drawn towards it: the street, dappled with sunlight beneath a radiant blue sky, curves and leads the eye directly to the white dome. This winding alleyway also lends a delightful dynamism to the painting. In contrast, the colourless, static, and plainly rendered houses and human figures ensure that the directed focus of the viewer remains undistracted.
The street depicted is the rue de l'Abreuvoir, one of the oldest and most famous streets in Paris, named for an ancient watering trough ('abreuvoir').