Three Riders at the Sea

Jean-Maxime Claude had a long career behind him when he painted these three riders on the beach in 1882. With their backs turned to us, they regard the sunset over the sea in a tranquil, quiet moment. The painting was bought by the Swedish collector Oskar Filip Heilborn. His collection, which was donated to the Nationalmuseum in 1902, is representative of the Swedish fondness for French art at the time. It includes older realist works and more contemporary paintings, but not one single Impressionist.