Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Martigues among headline lots at Christie's

Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Les Martigues is valued at £400,000-600,000 ($608,000-912,000) ahead of Christie's February 5 impressionist and modern art day sale in London.

The painting was executed in 1888 and pictures the settlement of Martigues to the north of Marseilles.

Renoir Martigues Christies
During the 1880s Renoir began to focus on the effect of sunlight in his work

During the 1880s Renoir began to focus primarily on capturing the effect of sunlight in his painting, dispensing with figurative detail.

He described his new approach in a letter to his friend and patron Madame Charpentier in 1882: "So, by looking around outside, I have finished by seeing only the broad harmonies, and am no longer preoccupied with the little details, which only extinguish the sunlight, instead of increasing its brilliance".

Another Renoir, Etudes de Baigneuses (1915), is to auction at Sotheby's on February 4 with a similar estimate of £500,000-700,000 ($758,660-1m).

Fernand Leger's Composition avec Coquille is another highlight of the Christie's auction, with a valuation of £400,000-600,000 ($608,000-912,000).

The work dates to 1929, when Leger was beginning to soften his austere geometric constructions with forms inspired by nature.

Christie's explains that in 1929 both Leger and the modernist architect Le Corbusier "both wrote statements in which they affirm an equivalence between modern architecture and modern painting.

"In this way, Composition avec coquille could be seen as Léger's visual tribute to the shared modernist visual aesthetics of the painter and architect."

Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about art and antiques auctions.

Featured products

Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Sale price£399
In stock
Fidel Castro signed certificateFidel Castro Signed Certificate
Fidel Castro signed certificate
Sale price£2,995
In stock
King Henry VIII Autographed DocumentKing Henry VIII Autographed Document
King Henry VIII Autographed Document
Sale price£55,000
In stock