Montreal Street View Watercolour on paper · Signed lower right: S. Berne · Sydney Berne (Canadian, 1921–2013) · Sight: 14¾ x 19½ in (37.5 x 49.5 cm)
A relaxed and luminous watercolour depicting a tree-lined Montreal street in summer, with dappled light filtering through mature canopy trees onto a curving road flanked by brick row houses and their characteristic exterior staircases. The composition has an easy, plein-air quality — the foliage is rendered in loose, confident washes of green and yellow-green, while the architecture is suggested rather than laboured, with just enough detail to evoke the distinctive character of Montreal's residential neighbourhoods. A solitary figure on a bicycle appears at the end of the street, providing scale and life. The overall mood is warm and nostalgic.
Sydney Berne (born Sidney Bernstein, 1921–2013) was born in Toronto and attended Central Technical School of Art before working in commercial arts. He served with the Canadian forces in World War II, and upon returning settled in Montreal, Quebec, where he studied abstract expressionism in Paris under André Paul. His subjects include landscapes, snowscapes, seascapes, street scenes, still life, portraits, tall ships and trains, with exterior locations including the Laurentian Mountains, Nova Scotia, and the cities of Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto.
Montreal street scenes are among Berne's most collected subjects. A directly comparable pair of Berne watercolours — "Untitled (Montreal Street Scenes)," each sight 14.5 x 19.5 in — was offered at Waddington's in December 2025 with an estimate of $600–$750 CAD. This single example, at a nearly identical size and subject, sits squarely within that market range.
Artist: Sydney Berne (Canadian, 1921–2013) Medium: Watercolour on paper Signature: Signed lower right: S. Berne Sight size: 14¾ x 19½ in (37.5 x 49.5 cm) Subject: Summer street scene, Montreal — tree-lined residential street with exterior staircases Frame: Silver-toned wood frame with double mat, under glass
Montreal Street View Watercolour on paper · Signed lower right: S. Berne · Sydney Berne (Canadian, 1921–2013) · Sight: 14¾ x 19½ in (37.5 x 49.5 cm)
A relaxed and luminous watercolour depicting a tree-lined Montreal street in summer, with dappled light filtering through mature canopy trees onto a curving road flanked by brick row houses and their characteristic exterior staircases. The composition has an easy, plein-air quality — the foliage is rendered in loose, confident washes of green and yellow-green, while the architecture is suggested rather than laboured, with just enough detail to evoke the distinctive character of Montreal's residential neighbourhoods. A solitary figure on a bicycle appears at the end of the street, providing scale and life. The overall mood is warm and nostalgic.
Sydney Berne (born Sidney Bernstein, 1921–2013) was born in Toronto and attended Central Technical School of Art before working in commercial arts. He served with the Canadian forces in World War II, and upon returning settled in Montreal, Quebec, where he studied abstract expressionism in Paris under André Paul. His subjects include landscapes, snowscapes, seascapes, street scenes, still life, portraits, tall ships and trains, with exterior locations including the Laurentian Mountains, Nova Scotia, and the cities of Montreal, Quebec, and Toronto.
Montreal street scenes are among Berne's most collected subjects. A directly comparable pair of Berne watercolours — "Untitled (Montreal Street Scenes)," each sight 14.5 x 19.5 in — was offered at Waddington's in December 2025 with an estimate of $600–$750 CAD. This single example, at a nearly identical size and subject, sits squarely within that market range.
Artist: Sydney Berne (Canadian, 1921–2013) Medium: Watercolour on paper Signature: Signed lower right: S. Berne Sight size: 14¾ x 19½ in (37.5 x 49.5 cm) Subject: Summer street scene, Montreal — tree-lined residential street with exterior staircases Frame: Silver-toned wood frame with double mat, under glass
