Emil Bührle Collection

Chaïm Soutine

Portrait of a Lady

ca. 1928

Portrait d'une dame

Oil on canvas

73 x 60 cm

Signed lower right: Soutine

Vergrössern

Drucken

Provenance

1René Gimpel (family) Paris Acquired directly from the artist in the late 1920’s, AStEGB, Receipted invoice from Dr. Fritz Nathan, Zurich, made out to Emil Bührle, 3 February 1955, with detailed provenance.

2The estate of René Gimpel by 1947 Soutine 1895–1943, (exh. cat.) Gimpel fils, London 1947, no. 3. The identification of the present portrait with cat. no. 3 of the Soutine exhibition taking place from 23 April to 17 May, 1947, at the London Gallery of the Gimpel family, was made possible based upon the «Art Gallery’s Master Stock Book», made available for viewing in London on 12 and 13 December 2011. On page 112, the Gallery Book features a small photograph of the present Soutine portrait, indentified as no. 820, and mentioning the name of Duveen, i.e. the name of the art dealers family from which Mrs. René Gimpel descended. No. 820 is again found on page 56 of the Gallery Book where 4 paintings by Soutine are listed. These 4 paintings correspond, by titles and by measures, to the only 4 paintings in the 1947 catalogue listed without the name of a lender, which indicates that they most probably were offered for sale. Therefore, these paintings are to be considered as having been, at that time, with the gallery owners. The reference made by Dr. Fritz Nathan in 1955 to the René Gimpel estate can therefore be confirmed, Receipted invoice as above, n. (1).

3Dr. H[erbert] Tannenbaum AStEGB, Inventory Card Soutine, Portrait of a Young Lady; the indication given on the card most probably refers to Dr. Herbert Tannenbaum, owner of Herbert Tannenbaum Galleries, 19 East 57th Street, New York; an information given by Dr. Johannes Nathan, Berlin, grandson of Dr. Fritz Nathan, to Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection, 9 August 2011, confirms that Dr. Fritz Nathan was in regular contact with Tannenbaum. In the agenda of Dr. Fritz Nathan for December 1954, several meetings are recorded between the dealers.

4Dr. Fritz Nathan Zurich • by 1955 Receipted invoice as above, n. (1); AStEGB, Entry Book II, 26 January 1955, identifies Max Kaganovitch as the consignor.

5Emil Bührle Zurich • 11 February 1955 until [d.] 28 November 1956 Acquired from Dr. Fritz Nathan, Zurich, for CHF 80.000, 11 February 1955, Receipted invoice as above, n. (1).

6Given by the heirs of Emil Bührle to the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection Zurich • 1960 Inv. 102.

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

Exhibitions

1947Soutine 1895–1943 Gimpel Fils • London • 1947 no. 3.

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. 287.

1958Hauptwerke der Sammlung Emil Georg Bührle–Zürich Haus der Kunst • Munich • 1958–59 no. 152.

1981Chaim Soutine 1893–1943 Westfälisches Landesmuseum, Münster • Kunsthalle Tübingen • Hayward Gallery, London • Kunstmuseum Lucerne • 1981–82 no. 77.

2010Van Gogh, Cézanne, Monet, Die Sammlung Bührle zu Gast im Kunsthaus Zürich Kunsthaus Zurich • 2010 no. 102.

2017Chefs-d’oeuvre de la collection Bührle, Manet, Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh… Fondation de l’Hermitage • Lausanne • 2017 no. 52.

References

1973Leopold Reidemeister etc. Stiftung Sammlung Emil G. Bührle • Fondation Collection Emil G. Bührle • Foundation Emil G. Bührle Collection Zurich & Munich • 1973 • no. 135 (ill.; 21986).

2004Lukas Gloor • Marco Goldin (ed.) Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection, Zurich, Catalogue vol. 3 • Conegliano & Zurich • 2004 • no. 151 (ill.; German edition: Stiftung Sammlung E.G. Bührle, Katalog • Italian edition: Fondazione Collezione E.G. Bührle, Catalogo).

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. 428 (ill.).