Marine, Côte d’Azur by Marcel Dyf (French 1899-1985) 

Signed (lower left) 

Painted in 1956 

Oil on Canvas 

25.5 x 45.5 inches / 65 x 116 cms 

Provenance:
Galerie de Rohan (Paul Claux) Paris
Frost & Reed, London, 1979 (54322)
Dr Gabriel Jaffé, Bournemouth, 1980
Hunter Simmonds Gallery, Bournemouth

Certificate:
This painting is authenticated by Claudine Dyf and recorded in the Dyf archive, No 4371

Although born in Alsace-Lorraine, throughout his life Dyf felt drawn to the warmth and light of the Mediterranean, and for the immediate post-war years he based himself at Cannes. This quiet harbour, its small array of modest yachts lined up along the quayside, is identified by Claudine Dyf as probably being the former fishing port of Sainte-Maxime, across the bay from the noisy and more racy resort of St Tropez, which in the mid-1950s was becoming a fashionable haven for luxury yacht owners. The post-war years brought carefree glamour and the Riviera revelled in its role as showplace for the stars while Cannes, with its film festival and elegant beachfront, was enjoying a golden age.

Against this background, ‘Marine, Côte d’Azur’ was commissioned by the owner of one such large yacht. This canvas, clearly a statement painting, is impressively wide, with proportions that deviate from the standard French canvas formats that Dyf generally used. The artist was conscious of the painting’s proposed setting, possibly in one of the reception rooms of the yacht, or in a stateroom. An intentional use of short horizontal strokes creates the impression of coloured strata in the water, an effect that would be naturally enhanced by light reflecting off the water outside the yacht onto the surface of the canvas.

This painting was sold originally through Paul Claux’s fashionable Galerie de Rohan in Paris; subsequently the painting was bought by Frost & Reed and sold to a collector in Bournemouth whose taste has always inclined towards Dyf’s more unusual and important subjects. Once again it is available to collectors who are looking for something out of the ordinary.

About Marcel Dyf:

Marcel Dyf is a fascinating example of the supersensitive artist who paints with extraordinary knowledge and a dynamic sense of colour. He employs paint in its purest and richest form, and having so vivid an imagination, he composes speedily his delightful subjects and enriches them with this romantic and objective ideals.

His range extends far beyond that of the ordinary painter, embracing as it does, portraits, flowers and the landscapes of his beloved France.