The Art Dealers (The Bernheim-Jeune Brothers)
- Date
- 1912
- Material
- Oil on board, mounted on canvas
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 217
- Dimensions
- 23 13/16 x 26 in. (60.5 x 66 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Weil
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 66:1953
NOTES
Two of the most prominent contemporary art dealers, the brothers Gaston and Josse Bernheim-Jeune, pose in the viewing studio of their galleries. Gaston perches on a chair in the foreground while Josse reads at his desk further back; high-powered picture lights are visible to the right. Édouard Vuillard was a friend of the two dealers and regularly exhibited at their gallery, enjoying considerable commercial success in the early years of the 20th century.
Provenance
- still in 1940
Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940), Paris, France [1]
1951 - 1952
Alex Reid & Lefevre, London, England [2]
1952 -
Sam Salz (1894–1981), New York, NY, USA [3]
- 1953
Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Weil, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Sam Salz [4]
1953 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Weil [5]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the catalogue raisonné on Vuillard, cat. no. IX-201 [Salomon, Antoine and Cogeval, Guy. "Vuillard - The Inexhaustible Glance: Critical Catalogue of Paintings and Pastels." New York: Rizzoli International, 2003, vol. II, cat. no. IX-201, p. 1137]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] The painting bears the Atelier Vuillard stamp.
[2] The painting was brought to Alex Reid & Lefevre gallery in January 1951. It was shown in the exhibition "The School of Paris" in July 1951 and sold in May 1952. The gallery was not at liberty to provide the names of the seller or buyer [emails dated April 12, 2006 from Jodie Waldron, Lefevre Fine Art, SLAM document files; "The School of Paris." London: The Lefevre Gallery, July 1951, no. 41].
[3] Sam Salz (c.1894-1981) left his native Austria in 1919 for Paris, where he soon became a part of the local art dealing community. He worked with renowned art dealer Ambroise Vollard, and also bought directly from artists including Derain, Vlaminck, Vuillard and Bonnard. In 1939 Salz moved to New York, where he continued to sell pictures to an elite clientele ["Sam Salz," The National Gallery of Art, accessed October 13, 2006]. A Sam Salz label was previously on the back of the painting, according to Museum accession records. Salz likely acquired the painting from Alex Reid & Lefevre in 1952.
[4] Although there are no existing records of the sale from Sam Salz, Inc. to the Weils, the couple purchased a number of paintings from Sam Salz, Inc. [notes of telephone conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Weil's son, John Weil, and Emmeline Erikson at the Saint Louis Art Museum, February 18, 2005, SLAM document files].
[5] Deed of gift from Richard K. Weil dated May 21, 1953 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, May 14, 1953.
Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940), Paris, France [1]
1951 - 1952
Alex Reid & Lefevre, London, England [2]
1952 -
Sam Salz (1894–1981), New York, NY, USA [3]
- 1953
Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Weil, St. Louis, MO, purchased from Sam Salz [4]
1953 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Weil [5]
Notes:
The main source for this provenance is the catalogue raisonné on Vuillard, cat. no. IX-201 [Salomon, Antoine and Cogeval, Guy. "Vuillard - The Inexhaustible Glance: Critical Catalogue of Paintings and Pastels." New York: Rizzoli International, 2003, vol. II, cat. no. IX-201, p. 1137]. Exceptions and other supporting documents are noted.
[1] The painting bears the Atelier Vuillard stamp.
[2] The painting was brought to Alex Reid & Lefevre gallery in January 1951. It was shown in the exhibition "The School of Paris" in July 1951 and sold in May 1952. The gallery was not at liberty to provide the names of the seller or buyer [emails dated April 12, 2006 from Jodie Waldron, Lefevre Fine Art, SLAM document files; "The School of Paris." London: The Lefevre Gallery, July 1951, no. 41].
[3] Sam Salz (c.1894-1981) left his native Austria in 1919 for Paris, where he soon became a part of the local art dealing community. He worked with renowned art dealer Ambroise Vollard, and also bought directly from artists including Derain, Vlaminck, Vuillard and Bonnard. In 1939 Salz moved to New York, where he continued to sell pictures to an elite clientele ["Sam Salz," The National Gallery of Art, accessed October 13, 2006]. A Sam Salz label was previously on the back of the painting, according to Museum accession records. Salz likely acquired the painting from Alex Reid & Lefevre in 1952.
[4] Although there are no existing records of the sale from Sam Salz, Inc. to the Weils, the couple purchased a number of paintings from Sam Salz, Inc. [notes of telephone conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. Weil's son, John Weil, and Emmeline Erikson at the Saint Louis Art Museum, February 18, 2005, SLAM document files].
[5] Deed of gift from Richard K. Weil dated May 21, 1953 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, May 14, 1953.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.