The River, By Maximilien Luce (1858–1941)

Black chalk and brown ink, studio stamp in the lower left corner, view size 10.5 x 13.3 cm

Born into a modest background, Maximilien Luce initially worked as an engraver while taking evening drawing classes. Although he was briefly a student of Carolus-Duran, he was largely self-taught in drawing through the study of nature. In 1887, he became a member of the Society of Independent Artists and regularly participated in the group’s exhibitions, which were considered avant-garde at the time. He became its president in 1935, a position from which he resigned at the start of World War II to protest the ban on exhibitions imposed on Jewish artists. He contributed to several anarchist newspapers: *Le Père Peinard*, *L’Assiette au beurre*, L’Illustration, etc. A friend of Pissarro, Seurat, and Signac, he was one of the founders of the Neo-Impressionist school, a movement based on the scientific study of light and the analysis of color decomposition. Initially a Pointillist, he later adopted a freer style, closer to Impressionism, of which the drawing exhibited here is a fine example. Landscapes make up a major part of his body of work. His urban landscapes deserve special mention; they often depict working-class neighborhoods and are frequently painted at night, reflecting the harsh realities of the working world at the time.

His works are exhibited notably in Paris at the Museum of Modern Art and the Musée d’Orsay, as well as abroad at the Petit Palais in Geneva and the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo (Netherlands). The Musée de Montmartre in Paris dedicated a solo exhibition to him in 2025.

The drawing is sold in a mounting that includes a pH-neutral backing board, a beveled mat, a sealed protective enclosure, glass, a hanging fixture, and a modern frame. If you would like to purchase the drawing without the modern frame, please contact the gallery before making your purchase.