Charles Théodore (Frère Bey) FRERE (1814-1888... Lot n° 27

Dans la cour d'une mosquée à Alger Huile sur toile, signée en bas à gauche 40,5 x 32,5 cm - 15 3/4 x 12 1/2 in. Oil on canvas, signed lower left   Théodore Frère was a pupil of Jules Coignet and Camille Roqueplan. Over the course of his one-year stay in Algeria, Frère became enchanted with the local light and brightness of the sun. He never could tire of the Mediterranean’s colors. During another journey, Frère travelled throughout the country and visited the fortified town of Constantine. He exhibited his first Orientalist painting at the Salon in 1839, and from that point on devoted his efforts entirely to Orientalist subjects. In 1851, Frère sojourned in Constantinople, Malta, Greece, and Smyrna. He continued his travels across Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Nubia. The Egyptian government later conferred the title “Bey” upon him, and he maintained a studio in Cairo.