Jules van Biesbroeck A Tea House in Algeria

The Property of a Gentleman

Jules van Biesbroeck
Belgian
1873 - 1965
A Tea House in Algeria

signed van Biesbroeck lower left
oil on panel
Unframed: 82.2 by 136cm., 32¼ by 53½in.
Framed: 105.5 by 159cm., 41½ by 62½in.

Condition Report:
The paint is thin in places, visible in the catalogue illustration, especially to the drapery at the top. There is an uneven varnish that fluoresces under ultra-violet light. This makes it difficult to read but there appears to be some minor retouching to the lower left corner. There is some rubbing to the framing edges and some minor spots of surface dirt.

Catalogue Note:
Biesbroeck was born in Portici in Italy, the son of painter Jules Biesbroeck Snr, who at the time was living there with his wife. Like his father, however, he studied at the Ghent Academy, training both as a painter and as a sculptor. In 1926 he made a trip to North Africa, where he was charmed by Algeria. The light and atmosphere he encountered marked a turning point in his artistic output. From then on, he painted almost exclusively scenes of everyday life in the Maghreb. Algiers had such a hold over him that he settled there for nine years, from 1929 until 1938. His studio, La Volière, became well-known throughout the city.

Provenance:
Acquired from the artist in Ghent by the grandfather of the present owner in 1938

Thence by descent to the present owner, Brazil