À propos de l’œuvre
Antibes, le fort, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Antibes · 1888 · W1161a
Antibes, fort W1161ahand painted reproduction
Fort Antibes rises beyond a blue and pink sea, while the coast, ramparts and Alps blend into the Mediterranean air. Signed Claude Monet and dated 88 lower left, this oil on canvas measuring 65 × 81.5 cm belongs to a private collection and corresponds to Wildenstein 1161a.
Look at the work
Fort becomes solid point amid light that dissolves the entire shore
The old town and its fort occupy the left of the horizon, seen from the other side of the bay. The body of water dominates the foreground; its horizontal touches lead towards the clear silhouette of the ramparts and towards the almost transparent mountains at the bottom.
Blue, turquoise, lilac and pink circulate from the sea to the sky. The lands receive warmer yellows and greens, but their contours remain mobile: Monet does not describe each building, he measures the distance by changes in color and intensity.
The fortress gives its name to the painting, but the real architecture of the scene is made by the strips of sea, coast, mountains and sky.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
A panoramic view organized by the horizon
The coastal line crosses the canvas without suddenly cutting off space. The fort, slightly off-center, serves as a landmark between the expanse close to the sea and the distant Alps.
Soft colors rather than descriptive drawing
The built shapes are assembled with touches of cream, pink and blue. Their low contrast with the sky restores the luminous heat and atmospheric distance.
The Antibes campaign of 1888
From January to the end of April, Monet painted thirty-nine paintings in the region. Sotheby's ranks this view among the first compositions of the stay and documents its acquisition from the artist by Durand-Ruel in 1890.
Reference image
Read this specific version
Only one exact image of W1161a is used. The real WebP measures 2,200 × 1,756 px and retains the native definition of the source, without artificial enlargement.
Keep the fort readable without hardening its walls
The silhouette should remain clear, but architectural details should not take precedence over the overall effect. Distance is essential to this version.
Preserve the roses and violets of the sea
Water is not a uniform blue surface. Warm accents take on the tones of the shore and make the reflection of light sensitive.
Keep the Alps almost intangible
The mountains at the bottom exist through weak bluish passages. Too dark contours would bring them together and crush the depth of the bay.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Sotheby's documents Antibes, the fort, oil on canvas from 1888, 65 × 81.5 cm, signed and dated lower left and listed Wildenstein 1161a.
Durand-Ruel acquired the painting from Monet in 1890
The dealer purchased the work on June 6, 1890, then it entered the Brooks family in Boston. This ancient American provenance is followed over several generations.
Monet worked at Cap d'Antibes for three and a half months
He chose the region for its light and continued his work despite the wind. His letters to Alice Hoschedé describe a beauty that he considers as seductive as it is difficult to paint.
The exact reference is Wildenstein 1161a
The 88 dating, the 65 × 81.5 cm format and the panoramic view of the fort make it possible to distinguish this painting from other versions of Antibes preserved in museums.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- The Wildenstein 1161a version
- The fort placed on the left bank
- The blue, pink and purple sea
- Pale Alps on the horizon
Work sheet
| Title | Antibes, fort W1161a |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1888 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 65 × 81.5 cm |
| Orientation | Horizontal |
| Conservation | Private collection, Last public sale documented by Sotheby's |
| Inventory | Wildenstein 1161a |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This bright bay is suitable for a living room, dining room or office. A gray blue, sand pink or warm white wall and a light wooden frame extend its Mediterranean softness.
