Siebe ten Cate - Place de la République, Paris

Siebe Johannes ten Cate (1858-1908)

Place de la République, Paris (around the corner from his studio)

Signed lower right ‘Ten Cate’, c. 1895

Watercolour, gouache and pencil on paper

36 x 44 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, Paris.

Exhibition:

Kees van Dongen. De jonge jaren, 8 November 2025 – 3 May 2026, Nederlands Steendrukmuseum, Valkenswaard.

Condition:

Very good.

A comparable work is part of the collection of the Musée Carnavalet, Paris (inv./cat. no. D.4311).

Additional information:

This Impressionist city view depicts the Place de la République in Paris, where Ten Cate had his studio, which he shared with Kees van Dongen. The Frisians artist’s atmospheric sensitivity is characteristic of the work.

At the centre of the composition stands the monumental statue of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic, which was installed on the square in 1883. Around the pedestal unfolds a lively urban scene: vague silhouettes of passers-by, carriages and market stalls suggest everyday activity, captured in a fleeting, rainy atmosphere.

The work demonstrates Ten Cate’s ability to capture an urban moment not only truthfully but also emotionally. As a Dutchman in Paris, he established a place for himself within the cosmopolitan art world around 1900, regularly exhibiting at Parisian salons. Place de la République is a representative example of his oeuvre: a wistful city scene in which everyday life merges with an almost melancholic sense of transience.