For Immediate Release

An Exhibition Paintings by Maximilien Luce (French: 1858-1941) May 6 - June 7, 1997 The first single-artist exhibition of works by Maximilien Luce to be held in the United States will be presented at Wildenstein from May 6th through June 7th. The show will include 90 paintings, most of which have never been on public view. Maximilien Luce was born in 1858 in Paris, where he was apprenticed to the wood engraver Henri Hildebrand from 1872 to 1876. Luce worked briefly for Eugene Froment as an engraver, and in 1877 he entered the studio of Charles Carolus-Duran. Following a brief period of military service he concentrated on painting, sharing his time between the ateliers of Carolus-Duran, Froment and Auguste Lançon. In 1887 Luce joined the Société des Artistes Indépendants, whose members included Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Camille Pissarro and other artists of the Neo-Impressionist movement. Luce embraced their Pointillist theories of color and composition and painted in this manner from 1888 to 1891. He exhibited at the Salons des Artistes Indépendants for over fifty years and was elected President of the Société in 1935. Luce's art cannot be separated from his background and character. Of working-class parentage, he was deeply concerned with the plight of the common laborer. Like most of the Neo-Impressionists he held anarchist beliefs and was actually imprisoned in 1894 for six weeks following the assassination of the French President, Sadi Carnot. Throughout his career Luce continually devoted canvases to the portrayal of the contemporary urban-industrial scene. Street views of Paris as well as the industrial landscapes of Belgium's 'Pays noir' were favorite themes. Luce's sensitivity is discovered in his numerous landscapes, especially those of the Seine valley at Herblay and at Rolleboise, a village near Mantes where he bought a house in his later years. From the mechanical technique and rigorous formulas of Neo-Impressionism Luce's style gradually evolved to a more naturalistic representation. His later paintings are closer to Impressionism. Luce produced a large body of work, more than any other of the Neo-Impressionists. The paintings on view cover all periods of Luce's career. Ranging in date from 1875 to 1939, the subjects include portraits, notably an unpublished self portrait and a 1905 portrait of Luce's wife, Ambroisine; figure scenes; cityscapes, including the divisionist Cathedral of Notre-Dame, one of a series Luce dedicated to this subject; and industrial sites, as well as a large number of landscape and harbor scenes. A fully illustrated catalogue, containing 25 color plates and an introductory essay, will accompany the exhibition. The exhibition will be open to the public from May 6th through June 7th, Monday through Saturday from 10AM to 5PM. There is no admission charge. FOR PHOTOGRAPHS AND FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT JOYCE HARTKE (212) 879-0500