The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Pierre Celice on February 22nd 2014.

Henri Hayden belonged to the École de Paris and is predominantly know for his still life and landscape paintings. Born in Warsaw, he studied engineering at the Warsaw Polytechnic from 1902 - 1905, and also painting at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts. Finding his passion in art, he moved to Paris in 1907 where he further attended art school. Between 1909 and 1918 he spent summers painting in Brittany and in 1911 had his first one-man exhibition at the Galerie Druet in Paris. His work reflects the influence of Cézanne and the Cubists. In 1915, he signed a contract with Léonce Rosenberg and joined the group of Cubist artists shown at the Galerie de l’Effort Moderne. Until 1921 he participated actively to the Cubist movement, developing strong friendships with Gris, Lipchitz and Picasso.

This picture is typical of Hayden’s Cubist work from his 1917 Brittany period. In this harbour scene we find the sign À la descente des marins referring to a bar of the same name found in Port Lesconil, where it still stands today. The incorporation of text and signs in painting was a device commonly used by the Cubists. Collage, another device favoured by the Cubist, is alluded to here through the artist’s use of superimposed planes of colour to mimic this effect. The faint outline of a sailing boat can be seen at the top right along with another moored in the foreground – the only legible marine references within the work.