Auguste Pellerin
Encyclopedia
Auguste Pellerin was a french
entrepeneur and art collector. He was one of the most important collectors of the works of Édouard Manet
and Paul Cézanne
at the beginning of the 20th century.
manufacturing. His successful enterprise included factories in France, England, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. From 1906 until his death in 1929 he also acted as Norwegian General Consul in Paris.
At first, Pellerin collected craft objects such as porcelain
, faience
, and glass. He soon began to collect works by established painters such as Antoine Vollon
und Jean Jacques Henner. Paintings by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot and the Impressionists
followed. At this point he focused on Édouard Manet
, buying many major works by that artist. In 1898 he acquired his first Cézanne from Ambroise Vollard
. Over the years he accumulated a notable collection of more than 90 works by these artists. Pellerin became personally acquainted with some of these artists, including Cézanne, who sketched his portrait in 1899. Two further portraits were painted by Henri Matisse around 1916-17.
On 2 February 1910, 35 of Pellerin's Manets were sold for 1,000,000 francs
to a consortium of art dealers that included Bernheim-Jeune, Durand-Ruel
, and Paul Cassirer
, a move that stirred controversy. Many of these paintings, which through Heinrich Thannhauser were exhibited in the Moderne Galerie in Munich, were later sold to German collectors and eventually ended up in German museums. Although Pellerin sold more of his collection during his lifetime, his son Jean-Victor Pellerin and his daughter Mme Réne Lecomte still inherited a substantial number of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. In 1982 his heirs gave 14 of the most important Cézanne paintings in the remaining collection to French state museums.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
entrepeneur and art collector. He was one of the most important collectors of the works of Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
and Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
at the beginning of the 20th century.
Life
Auguste Pellerin attained his fortune through margarineMargarine
Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...
manufacturing. His successful enterprise included factories in France, England, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. From 1906 until his death in 1929 he also acted as Norwegian General Consul in Paris.
At first, Pellerin collected craft objects such as porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
, faience
Faience
Faience or faïence is the conventional name in English for fine tin-glazed pottery on a delicate pale buff earthenware body, originally associated with Faenza in northern Italy. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip...
, and glass. He soon began to collect works by established painters such as Antoine Vollon
Antoine Vollon
Antoine Vollon was a French realist artist, best known as a painter of still lifes, landscapes and figures. During his lifetime, Vollon was a successful celebrity, enjoyed an excellent reputation, and was called a "painter's painter"...
und Jean Jacques Henner. Paintings by Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot and the Impressionists
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
followed. At this point he focused on Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
, buying many major works by that artist. In 1898 he acquired his first Cézanne from Ambroise Vollard
Ambroise Vollard
Ambroise Vollard is regarded as one of the most important dealers in French contemporary art at the beginning of the twentieth century...
. Over the years he accumulated a notable collection of more than 90 works by these artists. Pellerin became personally acquainted with some of these artists, including Cézanne, who sketched his portrait in 1899. Two further portraits were painted by Henri Matisse around 1916-17.
On 2 February 1910, 35 of Pellerin's Manets were sold for 1,000,000 francs
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
to a consortium of art dealers that included Bernheim-Jeune, Durand-Ruel
Paul Durand-Ruel
Paul Durand-Ruel was a French art dealer who is associated with the Impressionists. He was one of the first modern art dealers who provided support to his painters with stipends and solo exhibitions....
, and Paul Cassirer
Paul Cassirer
Paul Cassirer was a German art dealer and editor who played a significant role in the promotion of the work of artists of the Berlin Secession and of French Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, in particular that of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne.- Starting out :Paul Cassirer started out as...
, a move that stirred controversy. Many of these paintings, which through Heinrich Thannhauser were exhibited in the Moderne Galerie in Munich, were later sold to German collectors and eventually ended up in German museums. Although Pellerin sold more of his collection during his lifetime, his son Jean-Victor Pellerin and his daughter Mme Réne Lecomte still inherited a substantial number of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. In 1982 his heirs gave 14 of the most important Cézanne paintings in the remaining collection to French state museums.