Before the Start · Edgar Degas · Stiftung Sammlung E.G. Bührle

Edgar Degas

Before the Start

1878/80

Avant le départ

Oil on canvas

39.5 x 89,5 cm

Signed lower left: Degas

Lemoisne 503

Vergrössern

Drucken

Provenance

1Durand-Ruel Paris Lemoisne no. 503.

2Earl F. Milliken London • before 1902 Catalogue of Mr. E. F. Milliken’s Private Collection of Valuable Paintings, (sale cat.) American Art Association, New York (7 February 1902), no. 12; Catalogue of Important Pictures Chiefly of the Dutch and Barbizon Schools, (sale cat.) Christie’s, London (16 May 1903), no. 137.

3Mme Alexandre Rosenberg Paris Archive Paul Rosenberg Gallery, New York, Inventory Card no. 765, Degas, «Chevaux de courses».

4Paul Rosenberg Paris • by 1924 until 1949 Son of the above, Exposition Degas, Peintures, pastels et dessins, sculptures, eaux-fortes, lithographies et monotypes, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris 1924, no. 44.

5Confiscated by the «Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg» (ERR no. PR 142), and turned over to Hermann Göring 14 September 1941 Nancy H. Yeide, Beyond the Dreams of Avarice, The Hermann Goering Collection, Dallas 2009, no. D28.

6Traded to Galerie Fischer in exchange for works of art Lucerne • April 1942 Yeide, as above, n. (5); Esther Tisa Francini etc., Fluchtgut, Raubgut, Der Transfer von Kulturgütern in und über die Schweiz 1933–1945 und die Frage der Restitution, Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz–Zweiter Weltkrieg (ed.), Zurich 2001, pp. 106 (n. 267), 286 (n. *3), 347 (n. 87).

7Purchased by Emil Bührle Zurich • 18 April 1942 Purchased from Galerie Fischer for CHF 75.000, AStEGB, Letter from Emil Bührle to his lawyer, Dr. Walther Huber, Zurich, 5 July 1947. The figure corresponds to the amount which Bührle later claimed from Fischer in his lawsuit against the latter, and whilst Fischer refused to acknowledge obligation for reimbursement in principle, the figures as such where never questioned. Therefore, these figures defined the amounts which Fischer had to pay back to Bührle after the Federal Court came to the conclusion that Bührle had acquired the paintings in good faith, AStEGB, Swiss Federal Court, Kammer zur Beurteilung von Raubgutklagen / Chambre des actions en revendication de biens spoliés, Lausanne, Verdict of 5 July 1951 (typescript).

8Restituted to Paul Rosenberg New York • 3 June 1948 AStEGB, Swiss Federal Court, Kammer zur Beurteilung von Raubgutklagen / Chambre des actions en revendication de biens spoliés, Lausanne, Request for restitution of artworks by Paul Rosenberg vs. various defendants (including Bührle), Verdict of 3 June 1948 (typescript), ordering the restitution of the claimed works, including Degas, Avant le départ.

9Repurchased from Paul Rosenberg by Emil Bührle Zurich • 21 June 1949 with Bührle until [d.] 28 November 1956 AStEGB, Letter (handwritten) from Paul Rosenberg, Paris, to Emil Bührle, 21 June 1949, confirming the retrocession of the painting for $ 30.000; Invoice from Paul Rosenberg, New York, made out to Emil Bührle, 6 July 1949, with detailed information regarding provenance, references and exhibition history; Letter from Florence Walters, Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, to Emil Bührle, 8 May 1950, announcing shipment of 4 paintings, including Degas, «Chevaux de courses».

10Given by the heirs of Emil Bührle to the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection Zurich 1960 Inv. 34.

AStEGB = Archive of the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection, Zurich

Exhibitions

1896First Annual Exhibition Carnegie Art Galleries [Institute] • Pittsburgh • 1896–97 no. 87.

1923Peintres français du XIXe siècle Galerie Knoedler • London • 1923 no. 16.

1924Exposition Degas, Peintures, pastels et dessins, sculptures, eaux-fortes, lithographies et monotypes Galerie Georges Petit • Paris • 1924 no. 44.

1934Exhibition of Important Paintings by Great French Masters of the Nineteenth Century Paul Rosenberg & Durand-Ruel (Durand-Ruel Galleries) • New York • 1934 no. 14.

1936Degas 1834–1917 Philadelphia Museum of Art • 1936 no. 29.

1937Degas Rosenberg & Helft • London • 1937 no. 4.

1939La peinture française au XIXe siècle Musée du Prince Paul • Belgrade • 1939 no. 42.

1950Europäische Kunst 13.–20. Jahrhundert aus Zürcher Sammlungen Kunsthaus Zurich • 1950 p. 26.

1951Degas Kunstmuseum Bern • 1951–52 no. 26.

1952Edgar Degas Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam • 1952 no. 17.

1955Europäische Meister 1790–1910 Kunstmuseum Winterthur • 1955 no 65.

1958Sammlung Emil G. Bührle, Festschrift zu Ehren von Emil G. Bührle zur Eröffnung des Kunsthaus-Neubaus und Katalog der Sammlung Emil G. Bührle Kunsthaus Zurich • 1958 no. 159.

19581896–1955, Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings from Previous Internationals Carnegie Institute • Pittsburgh • 1958–59 no. 2.

1961Masterpieces of French Painting from the Bührle Collection Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh • National Gallery, London • 1961 no. 23.

1993Degas Fondation Pierre Gianadda • Martigny • 1993 no. 19.

2003Degas e gli italiani a Parigi Palazzo dei Diamanti • Ferrara • 2003 no. 59

2003Edgar Degas and the Italians in Paris National Galleries of Scotland • Edinburgh • 2003–04 fig. 20.

2004Degas, Classico e moderno Complesso del Vittoriano • Rome • 2004–05 no. 39.

2010Van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet, Die Sammlung Bührle zu Gast im Kunsthaus Zürich Kunsthaus Zurich • 2010 no. 34.

2010Degas Yokohama Museum of Art • Yokohama • 2010–11.

201621, rue La Boétie Musée La Boverie • Liège • 2016–17 no. 20.

2016Max Liebermann: Reiten, Tennis, Polo, Vom Freizeitvergnügen zum modernen Sport Kunsthalle Bremen • Liebermann-Villa am Waldsee, Berlin • 2016–17 no. 49 (Berlin only).

2018Bührle Collection: Impressionist Masterpieces from the E.G. Bührle Collection, Zurich (Switzerland) National Art Center, Tokyo • Kyushu National Museum, Fukuoka • Nagoya City Art Museum • 2018 no. 31.

2019La Collection Emil Bührle Musée Maillol • Paris • 2019 no. 23.

References

1909Georges Grappe in L’Art et le Beau (3/1) • 1909 • p. 6 (ill.).

1918Paul Lafond Degas vol. 1 • Paris • 1918 • p. 16 (ill.).

1920Henri Hertz Degas Paris • 1920 • p. 26.

1920Julius Meier-Graefe Degas, Ein Beitrag zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der modernen Malerei Munich • 1920 • fig. 54 top (²1924, fig. 35 top).

1924Paul-André Lemoisne «Artistes contemporains, Edgar Degas, A propos d’une exposition récente» in Revue de l’art (46) • 1924 • p. 95 (ill.).

1936Georges Grappe Degas Paris • 1936 • p. 27 (ill.).

1937Degas (exh. cat.) • Orangerie des Tuileries • Paris • 1937 • p. 37.

1946Paul-André Lemoisne Degas et son œuvre vol. 2 Peintures et pastels 1853–1882, Notices et reproductions du no. 1 au no. 716bis Paris • 1946 • no. 503 (ill.;²New York 1984).

1957Y. Shinoda Der Einzug des Japanischen in die französische Malerei [Diss.] • Cologne • 1957 • p. 46, fig. 36.

1970Fiorella Minervino • Franco Russoli L’opera completa di Degas Milan • 1970 • no. 688 (ill.;²1978; German edition: Das Gesamtwerk von Degas, Lucerne etc. 1970 • Spanish edition: La obra pictórica completa de Degas, Barcelona 1972 • French edition: Jacques Lassaigne, Fiorella Minervino, Tout l’œuvre peint de Degas, Paris 1974; ²1988).

1973Leopold Reidemeister etc. Stiftung Sammlung Emil G. Bührle • Fondation Collection Emil G. Bührle • Foundation Emil G. Bührle Collection Zurich & Munich • 1973 • no.47 (ill.; ²1986).

1994Emil Maurer Stiftung Sammlung E.G. Bührle, Zürich Bern • 1994 • pp. 46–47 • (English edition: Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection, Zurich, Bern 1995).

1997Ann Dumas etc. The Private Collection of Edgar Degas (exh. cat.) • Metropolitan Museum of Art New York • 1997–98 • p. 187, fig. 261.

2001Anne Dumas «Degas in America» in Degas and America, The Early Collectors (exh. cat.) • High Museum of Art, Atlanta • Minneapolis Institute of Art • 2001 • p. 23, fig. 9.

2001Esther Tisa Francini etc. Fluchtgut, Raubgut, Der Transfer von Kulturgütern in und über die Schweiz 1933–1945 und die Frage der Restitution Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz–Zweiter Weltkrieg (ed.) • Zurich • 2001 • pp. 106 (n. 267), 286 (n. *3), 347 (n. 87), 509.

2005Lukas Gloor • Marco Goldin (ed.) Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection, Zurich, Catalogue vol. 2 • Conegliano & Zurich • 2005 • no. 49 (ill.; German edition: Stiftung Sammlung E.G. Bührle, Katalog • Italian edition: Fondazione Collezione E.G. Bührle, Catalogo). ▪

2008Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Katalog der Gemälde und Skulpturen vol. 2 • Düsseldorf • 2008 • entry for cat. no. 77, p. 232 (ill.).

2009Nancy H. Yeide Beyond the Dreams of Avarice, The Hermann Goering Collection Dallas • 2009 • no. D28 (ill.).

2016Lukas Gloor «Emil Bührle and Paul Rosenberg: A business relationship at the dawn of the post-war era» in 21, rue La Boétie, based on the book by Anne Sinclair (exh. cat.) • Musée La Boverie • Liège • 2016–17 • p. 135 (French edition: «Emil Bührle et Paul Rosenberg: Une relation d’affaires au lendemain de la guerre», in 21, rue La Boétie, d’après le livre d’Anne Sinclair; 2^nd edition: [exh. cat.] Musée Maillol, Paris 2017, p. 137).

2018Mariel Oberthür Edgar Degas en Normandie, Le peintre du cheval et des courses Montreuil • 2018 • p. 158, fig. 141.

2019Marine Kisiel «Les tableaux en long» in Degas à l’Opéra (exh. cat.) • Musée d’Orsay • Paris • 2019–20 • p. 186, n. 4 (English edition: Degas at the Opéra, [exh. cat.] National Gallery of Art • Washington • 2020 • p. 186, n. 5).

2021Lukas Gloor «The Holdings of the Emil Bührle Collection: Illustrated List of All 633 Purchases» in The Emil Bührle Collection: History, Full Catalogue and 70 Masterpieces Swiss Institute for Art Research, Zurich (ed.), Munich • 2021 • no. 172 (ill.).