ROTTERDAM.- The famous bronze relief Les émigrants, one of the earliest representations of mass migration, was acquired by FENIX. The maker, French painter, lithographer and sculptor Honoré Daumier (1808-1879) is considered one of the most critical observers of the political and social life of France in the nineteenth century. Les émigrants will be exhibited in the permanent presentation of the future FENIX Museum for Migration in Rotterdam.

The bas-relief Les émigrants, which probably originated around 1850, consists of a series of figures, adults and children. A few silhouettes accentuate the foreground; some men carry burdens whose nature is difficult to discern. On the right, the face of a woman disappears behind a hand against her forehead. The relief refers to a classic frieze, monumental and almost heroic. Daumier shows no heroes or gods, but rather a lamentation of hardship and pain, of flight and departure. This work, the title of which has only been attributed afterwards, was probably created in the aftermath of the year of revolution 1848, which caused large groups of people on the move throughout Europe. It is well known that Daumier, who was active not only as a committed artist but also as a journalist, had the massive deportation of political opponents of the regime to the French colonies after the revolts of June 1848 reflected in his work in various ways. This exodus in the mid-nineteenth century coincided with other major flows of migrants from Europe to the New World, particularly those after the 1847 famine in Ireland.




Daumier made about five paintings and several drawings on the theme of refugees and migration. The first mention of a relief can be found in the account of a studio visit that Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) made to Daumier in January 1852 where mention is made of 'a large wax bacchanal'. Daumier, who did not consider himself a sculptor, made expressive 'models', models in wax.

There are two versions of the relief Les émigrants. One of the original plaster models can be found in the Louvre, the other at the Musée d'Orsay. In Paris, Daumier lived at the Quai d'Anjou, next to the sculptor and bronze caster Adolphe-Victor Geffroy-Dechaume (1816-1892). Both artists owned a second house outside the city, in the countryside of Valmondois.. After Daumier's death, his collegue and friend Geffroy-Dechaume was given both plaster models, which eventually ended up in the two Paris museums by descent. An edition of twenty casts was made of both plaster models between 1955 and 1960 (ten for the heirs of Geffroy-Dechaume and ten for Daumier's descendants. These have been distributed worldwide in museums and private collections.

FENIX Museum for Migration will be located in the monumental former San Francisco warehouse, in the year of opening (1923) the largest warehouse in the world. From these Rotterdam quays millions of people left by boat to a new, unknown world. Above the roof of FENIX there will be a futuristic viewing platform over the river Maas and Rotterdam, designed by MAD architects. FENIX is an initiative of Stichting Droom en Daad.

Les émigrants will be part of the permanent exhibition in the future FENIX Museum for Migration Rotterdam.