PARIS.- On the occasion of the forthcoming sale Art Impressioniste on 24 November 2023 at Hôtel Drouot in Paris, the auction house of
Ader will unveil Mary Cassatt’s Portrait de Jeune Fille au Chapeau Blanc, estimated at €800,000 to €1,200,000. The American painter, an emblematic figure of Impressionism and one of the rare female artists of the movement alongside Berthe Morisot, produced this striking portrait in 1879, the year of the fourth Impressionist exhibition, a reflection of her commitment as ambassador of the movement to her American compatriots. This painting illustrates the singularity of her art and her perfect technical mastery of both colour and form.
1879, a critical year for the work of Mary Cassatt
Born in 1843 in Pennsylvania, Mary Stevenson Cassat travelled frequently to Europe with her family, notably to Paris and Germany. Once back in Pennsylvania, she studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia and then, in 1866, returned to Paris where she became a student of Jean-Léon Gérôme. She travelled through Europe; to Italy and Spain before settling definitively in Paris in 1873. In spite of her classical training, she moved close to the Impressionists and particularly Degas, attracted by his artistic ideals and his way of painting. When her own paintings were refused at the Salon of 1875 and 1877, it was Degas who suggested that she exhibit with the Impressionists and truly join the movement. She would be the only American to join the French Impressionists and exhibit in their Salon.
AN EMBLEMATIC PAINTING BY AN IMPRESSIONIST PAINTER
From the very beginning, Mary Cassatt was a portrait painter. She perfected her skills in the studio of Charles Chaplin, and specialized in depictions of interior and family scenes, focusing on portraits of women and children. There is always a psychological dimension to her work, with particular attention to movement and spontaneity. Our vibrant portrait, with its powerful presence, is a fine demonstration of this unanimously recognized talent. Manet’s influence can be seen in the broad brushstrokes and use of colour, while the modelling of the face and the delicate rendering of the flesh tones bear witness to Mary Cassatt’s classical training. Our «Portrait de Jeune Fille au Chapeau Blanc» can be compared to Manet’s «Portrait de Berthe Morisot» of 1872: the framing and posture are similar, but Mary Cassatt’s personal style exemplifies all the varied richness of Impressionism. This portrait also bears witness to the evolution of Mary Cassatt’s own style, which from 1889 onwards tended towards a certain modernity.
« It is a work that stands out in the œuvre of Cassatt » explains Xavier Dominique, commissaire-priseur from Ader. Our portrait could be one of those exhibited by Mary Cassatt at the Fourth Impressionist Salon in 1879, or at the following Salon in 1880: many of the portraits listed in the catalogues of these Salons remain unidentified.
1879: a pivotal year for the Impressionist movement
The movement clearly affirmed itself in 1874 with the first Impressionist Salon, exhibiting artists rejected by the official one. In 1879, the fourth Salon brought in new artists such as Gauguin, Félix and Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt, and generated considerable public interest. It was in 1879 that the Impressionist style began to be recognized and appreciated by various critics. Renoir had two paintings accepted at the official Salon. In the years that followed, Pissarro, Sisley and Renoir enjoyed important solo exhibitions. Impressionist art became institutionalized. Internationally, the movement developed, with French artists exhibiting in Munich, but above all, Mary Cassatt, through the strength of her American connections, encouraged leading art lovers to build up their Impressionist collections, also in thanks to Paul Durand-Ruel, a fervent supporter of Impressionist artists for whom he was the main dealer. Mary Cassat’s friend Louisine Havemeyer and her brother Alexander were among the first to collect the great names of this movement, such as Degas and Monet.
In addition to this portrait by Mary Cassatt, Ader will be offering a painting by Claude Monet, Les Saules à Giverny, dating from 1880 and estimated at €2,000,000 to €3,000,000. This large-format painting, from the Impressionist period, comes from the same collection as our portrait. Purchased at auction in 1948 and remaining in the current owner’s family, it is reappearing on the art market, where Monet’s paintings are becoming increasingly rare.
