Le Havre before the regatta

by Siebe Johannes Ten Cate

Dutch globe-trotting painter Siebe Johannes Ten Cate made frequent trips for inspiration purposes, visiting for instance England, Sweden and Switzerland as well as the city of Le Havre, France, one his favorite locations.

Our large painting depicts one of the famous regattas organized since 1838 by the Société des Régates of Le Havre. In another 1884 work of similar dimensions, the artist depicted the regatta start from Honfleur, on the other side of the Seine Bay (Sotheby's New York sale November 21, 2017 #47). Our painting depicts a view of the Le Havre harbor crowded with competitors' ships.

A landscape painter, Ten Cate favored lively scenes depicted from original angles, as is the case with our work, painted from a bird’s eye view, akin to a photograph. A member of the Dutch Impressionist movement, the artist was supported by Paul Durand-Ruel, who presented 70 of his works at a May 1891 exhibition.

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