Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 309 works by Maximilien Luce in our catalogue
Summary
According to this ranking, The Pile Drivers (1902) is the most famous painting by Maximilien Luce; the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, holds it. It is followed by Notre Dame (1899) and The Flood (1910). This list draws on the 309 works by Maximilien Luce in the catalogue and records the 100 most famous, with date, holding museum and description for each entry.
Maximilien Luce’s “The Pile Drivers,” completed in 1902, transcends mere depiction; it's a visceral embodiment of the burgeoning industrial age and a masterful demonstration of Neo-Impressionist artistry. Currently residing at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, this monumental canvas—measuring 153 x 195 cm—commands attention not only for its scale but also for Luce’s audacious stylistic choices and profound engagement with social commentary.
The scene unfolds through the eyes of Maximilien Luce, who captures the presence of Notre Dame in Paris. This work, titled Notre Dame, presents the cathedral as it exists within the urban landscape. The artist focuses on the massive towers that rise above the surrounding city, anchoring the composition. It is a moment frozen in time, where the architecture meets the movement of the streets.
Maximilien Luce’s technical approach underwent a significant evolution throughout his career. He began his professional practice as an Impressionist, focusing on the immediate effects of light and atmosphere. This early period eventually gave way to the scientific rigor of Neo-Impressionism. During this phase, he adopted the pointillist technique, which involves the application of tiny, distinct dots of pure color to the canvas. This method relies on optical mixing to achieve…
Maximilien Luce's Region of Paris, View of Montmartre, created in 1897, is a captivating oil on canvas painting measuring 46 x 65 cm. Currently residing at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands, this artwork offers a serene glimpse into Parisian life during the late 19th century through the lens of Neo-Impressionism.
In the shimmering embrace of the French Riviera, Maximilien Luce captures a moment of timeless tranquility in The Port of Saint-Tropez. Painted in 1893, this masterpiece serves as a window into the soul of a bustling Mediterranean harbor, where the rhythmic dance of the tides meets the vibrant pulse of human activity. At the heart of the composition, a majestic sailboat rests anchored at the pier, its sails catching the…
Street Scene in Winter1915
12
Le chantier1911 · Musée d'Orsay
13
The Pile Drivers, Quai de la Seine at Billancourt
14
La Sainte-Chapelle1902 · Art Institute of Chicago
15
Slag Heap1896 · Musée d'Ixelles
16
A Paris Street in May 1871 (also known as The Commune)1903 · Musée d'Orsay
17
The Seine at Herblay1890 · Musée d'Orsay
18
Saint-Tropez1892 · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
19
Landscape with Willow Trees1887 · Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
20
Quai de l'École, Paris, Evening1889
21
The Fishing Port at Saint-Tropez1892
22
View of London1892
23
Paris, the Seine and the Quai de la Megisserie viewed from the Quai de Horloge1892
24
Portrait of Paul Signac1890
25
Poissy, Women in a Garden1893
26
Street Scene in Gisors1895 · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
27
Paris: Boulevard at Night1893
28
The Cathedral at Gisors, View of the Ramparts1898 · Dixon Gallery and Gardens
29
The River Sambre at Charleroi1896 · Chazen Museum of Art
30
The River Sambre in Charleroi1896 · Yale University Art Gallery
31
The Banks of the Seine River in Pari1893 · Yale University Art Gallery
32
Rue Ravignan, Paris1893 · Museum of Fine Arts
33
Charleroi1895
34
Portrait of Henri-Edmond Cross1898
35
Motherhood1898
36
Tall Furnaces1896
37
The Quai Conti, Daytime1896
38
The Good Samaritan1896
39
The Opening of the Rue Reaumur1896
40
Notre-Dame, View from the Quay Montebello1897
41
Saint Tropez, Two Woman by the Gulf1896
42
Fields1895
43
Children in the Fields1897
44
Haystack1897
45
Saint Tropez, Les Canoubiers1895
46
The Orchard at Eragny1895
47
The Thames and the Houses of Parliament, London1895
48
Paris, Rue Cortot, Madame Luce on the Balcony1893
49
Poissy, Madame Dillon1893
50
The Thames at London, Vauxhall Bridge1893
51
Seinequai in Paris1899 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
52
At the Riverbank1903 · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
53
The River Eure at Garennes1901 · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
54
Parisian Landscape. Banks of the Seine1901 · Petit Palais
55
Village by a Riverbank1901 · Petit Palais
56
Saint-Michel Bridge and Quai des Orfèvres around 19051905 · Carnavalet Museum
57
Notre Dame1900 · Museum of Art
58
Country Scene with Three Houses and Tree1900 · Yale University Art Gallery
59
Notre Dame1899 · Minneapolis Institute of Art
60
The Boulogne Embankment1905 · Finnish National Gallery
61
The Quai de Montebello and Sainte-Geneviève Hill1901
62
Saint-Tropez1900
63
Orleans, View of the Pont Georges V and the Cathedral Sainte Croix1905
64
The Sambre, Marchiennes1899
65
Félix Fénéon1903 · Musée d'Orsay
66
Notre Dame, Paris1901
67
Woman from Behind1900
68
The Seine at Pont Saint-Michel1900
69
Street in Paris1905
70
View of the Observatory Quarter (also known as View of the Observatory)1882 · Musée d'Orsay
71
The Brickyard1908 · Musée des impressionnismes Giverny
72
The Red Flag or the Trade Union Battle1910 · Musée de l'Hôtel-Dieu
73
Bessy-Sur-Cure, les Lavandières au Bord de l'Eau1906
74
Flodlandskab med pram og både1907 · Statens Museum For Kunst
75
Portrait of a Peasant
76
Nude combing her hair
77
Notre-Dame de Paris1910
78
Landscape with figures resting under trees
79
Rolleboise - The Old Barn
80
Young woman putting on her stockings
81
Portrait of Georges Seurat
82
The carter
83
Le Treport
84
Street Scene 1
85
Bathers at Tréport
86
Le Pont-Neuf, Paris
87
Farmers at the farm
88
Cottage near Bonniches
89
Fishermen on the pier
90
The Tuileries in Paris
91
Paramé beach
92
The port of Rotterdam 2
93
Plant in Charleroi 1
94
return
95
On the docks
96
The road 1
97
Rolleboise, lunch outdoors
98
on the way
99
Rolleboise, the small arm of the Seine
100
Rouen, the port
The four subjects most frequently represented among these works, each with its best-known example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Maximilien Luce | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Musée d'Orsay |
Paris | 8 | The Pile Drivers, Le chantier, A Paris Street in May 1871 (also known as The Commune) |
 Wallraf-Richartz-Museum |
Cologne | 5 | Saint-Tropez, Street Scene in Gisors, At the Riverbank |
 Yale University Art Gallery |
New Haven | 3 | The River Sambre in Charleroi, The Banks of the Seine River in Pari, Country Scene with Three Houses and Tree |
 Petit Palais |
Paris | 3 | Parisian Landscape. Banks of the Seine, Village by a Riverbank |
 Musée de l'Hôtel-Dieu |
Mantes-la-Jolie | 4 | The Red Flag or the Trade Union Battle |
 Carnavalet Museum |
Paris | 3 | Saint-Michel Bridge and Quai des Orfèvres around 1905 |
 Musée Lambinet |
Versailles | 1 | Paris, View of the Seine, Night |
 Kröller-Müller Museum |
Otterlo | 1 | Region of Paris, View of Montmartre |
Select a decade to display its principal painting.
The scene unfolds through the eyes of Maximilien Luce, who captures the presence of Notre Dame in Paris. This work, titled Notre Dame, presents the cathedral as it exists within the urban landscape. The artist focuses on the massive towers that rise above the surrounding city, anchoring the composition. It is a moment frozen in time, where the architecture meets the movement of the streets.
Maximilien Luce’s “The Pile Drivers,” completed in 1902, transcends mere depiction; it's a visceral embodiment of the burgeoning industrial age and a masterful demonstration of Neo-Impressionist artistry. Currently residing at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, this monumental canvas—measuring 153 x 195 cm—commands attention not only for its scale but also for Luce’s audacious stylistic choices and profound engagement with social commentary.
Maximilien Luce’s technical approach underwent a significant evolution throughout his career. He began his professional practice as an Impressionist, focusing on the immediate effects of light and atmosphere. This early period eventually gave way to the scientific rigor of Neo-Impressionism. During this phase, he adopted the pointillist technique, which involves the application of tiny, distinct dots of pure color to the canvas. This method relies on optical mixing to achieve…
The Pile Drivers (1902), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. The following entries are Notre Dame (1899) and The Flood (1910).
44 years: Maximilien Luce was born in 1858 and The Pile Drivers is dated 1902.
The Pile Drivers, Notre Dame, The Flood, View of London (Cannon Street), Paris, View of the Seine, Night, Region of Paris, View of Montmartre, The Port of Rotterdam, Evening, The Port of Saint-Tropez, Notre Dame and La Gare de l'Est. The list above records the date and holding museum of each.
The catalogue records 309 works by Maximilien Luce, dated between 1882 and 1917.
Principally in Musée d'Orsay (Paris), Wallraf-Richartz-Museum (Cologne) and Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven). The museum table above gives the full distribution.
In 1890s: 41 of the 100 works listed on this page are dated to that period, including Notre Dame.
The earliest dated work listed here is View of the Observatory Quarter (also known as View of the Observatory) (1882); the latest is La Gare de l'Est (1917).
France (10), Landscape (7) and Scenes (6), out of the 100 works listed on this page.
Oil On Canvas, in 6 of the 100 works listed on this page.
Neo-impressionism, as documented by the works on this page.
The Pile Drivers, Le chantier and A Paris Street in May 1871 (also known as The Commune) are among the 6 works on this page in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
