Private Impressionism, A Selling Exhibition?

The Marmottan Museum’s new show of impressionist works in private hands offers a rare look at the state of the potential market for Impressionist works by displaying a cross-section of great works that are still not in museums:

Marianne Mathieu, deputy director of the Marmottan and joint curator of the exhibition, said: “Almost all of these paintings have rarely, if ever, been seen in public for many decades. They come from 51 private collections, half of them in France, half in the rest of the world – in the United States or Britain or Belgium or Mexico.”

“We have tried to give a spread of works which illustrate the most important stages in the development of Impressionism.”

The exhibition includes a painting by the pre-impressionist artist Eugène Boudin – “Benerville la Plage” – which comes from a private collection in California. It has not been seen in public since the 1930s. There is also a Monet – “Sur les planches de Trouville” – which has only been seen once in public for more than a century.

The Petit salon in the Musée Marmottan Monet (Musée Marmottan Monet) There are also paintings by, amongst others, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Berthe Morisot (who is represented at the Marmottan by a large permanent collection, which has just moved into spacious new rooms). The ownership of the paintings on loan is, in many cases, secret.

The Guardian adds some of the named collections who participated in the show:

The works come from private collections all over the world, including the UK. Many donors have preferred to remain anonymous, but the exhibition contains paintings loaned by Pérez Simón of Mexico, Texan corporate lawyer Erich Spangenbergl, financier Scott Black (who contributed a Cézanne, a Monet and a Degas portrait of the artist’s father), and the Nahmad and Larock-Granoff families.

Museum with world’s largest collection of Monet paintings relaunches to celebrate 80th anniversary  (The Independent)

Impressionist masterpieces from private collections go on display (Guardian)