Juli Ramis I Palau (1910–1990), Attributed: Paris, The Seine, And The Eiffel Tower

JULI RAMIS I PALAU (1910–1990), attributed
Paris, the Seine, and the Eiffel Tower
Watercolor on paper, in an elegant period gilded frame

A beautiful watercolor depicting a lively Parisian scene along the banks of the Seine, with a barge moored in the foreground, people strolling along the riverbanks, and, in the distance, the distinctive silhouette of the Eiffel Tower.

With its fresh execution, delicately diffused light, and palette of blues, greens, and earth tones, this work poetically captures the atmosphere of the Seine and Paris during the interwar years.

This work is traditionally attributed to Juli Ramis i Palau, an attribution maintained by family tradition for several generations. According to the family’s descendants and heirs, who have preserved this memory, the watercolor was reportedly given by the artist himself to a family member, before being passed down through the generations. This origin, based primarily on oral and family tradition, is noted here with the usual reservations, as the attribution cannot be considered definitively established in the absence of additional documentation or expert analysis.

Juli Ramis i Palau (Sóller, Mallorca, 1910 – Palma, 1990) was one of the leading Spanish artists of the 20th-century avant-garde. Trained in Barcelona and Madrid, he lived in Paris from the early 1930s, where he met Pablo Picasso and came into contact with several representatives of the École de Paris. His artistic career was particularly diverse, ranging from figurative art and landscape painting to Cubist, Surrealist, and later abstract explorations. Nevertheless, in certain works on paper, he retained a very personal affinity for landscape, drawing, and watercolor. Institutional sources document several of the artist’s Parisian exhibitions, including one at the Galerie Calligrammes in 1947.

His work has achieved genuine international recognition. He exhibited in Paris and several major European cities and participated in the Venice Biennale in 1960 as well as various international events. His work is now represented in several museum collections, notably in Paris, Lyon, and Madrid; in 1990, he received the Gold Medal from the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands.

This watercolor is particularly captivating for its still-figurative and spontaneous style, offering a sensitive portrayal of a Paris by the river where the presence of the barge, the trees along the quays, and the Eiffel Tower come together to create a vivid scene of everyday life.

The work is presented in a beautiful gilded wooden frame with a mat. An old label from a Parisian gallery affixed to the back adds another layer to the history of this work and complements its family provenance.

A work that is at once decorative, luminous, and of interest to collectors of 20th-century Spanish painting and the School of Paris.

Technique: watercolor on paper
Subject: Paris, the banks of the Seine, a barge, and the Eiffel Tower
Artist: attributed to Juli Ramis i Palau (1910–1990)
Presentation: gilded frame and mat
Provenance: family tradition; the work is said to have been given by the artist to a family member.
Signature: to be examined / confirmed depending on the condition of the reverse side