Tipaza By Victor Prouvé

A view of the sea at Tipaza, painted in pastel from life. The work is signed in the lower left corner, dated May 10, 1910, and includes a location note. It is mounted in a molded wooden frame dating from the early 20th century and measures 26x34 cm without the frame. The sheet is mounted on backing board and has a slight tear at the top that has been restored.
Victor Prouvé, a leading figure of Art Nouveau in France, was born in Nancy in 1858 into a family whose father was an embroidery designer. After attending the Nancy School of Drawing from 1873 to 1877, he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris in the studio of the painter Alexandre Cabanel. He honed his skills in drawing and painting and was introduced to sculpture and printmaking at the school. 
While working in Paris, he also designed glassware and furniture for his friend Émile Gallé; some of his pieces were exhibited at the World’s Fairs of 1889 and 1900. He thus contributed to the development of the Nancy School style alongside Louis Majorelle and Émile Gallé. A trip to Tunisia in 1889 introduced him to North Africa and its light, which would have a lasting influence on him. He died in Sétif in 1943.