Mela Muter (1876 Warsaw - 1967 Paris), View of St. Peter's Basilica in Avignon.

oil, panel, 65 × 54cm
Signed l. d.: "Muter"

"Mela Muter admirably contributed to Polish painting, through the most conscious assertion of her own personality imaginable "[...] She was above all one of those strong individuals, one of the most outstanding explorers of national art. To this alone she owes the fact that she is counted among the "École de Paris." Thanks to France, she became simultaneously an outstanding representative of "Art vivant" and a great Polish painter [...].
A. Salmon, "Le peinture de Mela Muter", "Pologne Litt&aire" 1933, no. 87, p. 5 (translated from French - B. Nawrocki)

For Mela Muter, both the landscapes of the Rhone Valley and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon or Avignon itself were undeniable sources of inspiration. The very views of the city buildings from the nearby hills, as well as the picturesque streets or its monuments repeatedly appeared in the artist's paintings bathed in saturated colors. Bathed in warm sunlight, the walls of the 14th-century Fort Saint Andrew in Villeneuve-lès- Avignon are often the dominant motif appearing in Melania's landscapes. The artist also immortalized other distinctive sights of Avignon, with its churches at the forefront, as exemplified by the painting "View of St. Peter's Basilica in Avignon" included in the auction offer.