In the Café d'Harcourt in Paris, Henri Evenepoel
Henri Evenepoel
In the Café d'Harcourt in Paris
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Henri Evenepoel

In the Café d'Harcourt in Paris, 1897


Dimensions
114.0 x 148.0 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
1811
Acquisition
Acquired in 1926 as a gift from Walther Rathenau’s mother in Memory of her son
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

Once located on the Parisian Place de la Sorbonne, the Café d’Harcourt was closed down in 1940. Parisian bohemians and ladies of easy virtue pass the time smoking and drinking. A young woman in a red dress buoyantly makes her way through their midst. Her conspicuous outfit belies the shy gaze with which she searchingly surveys the room. Yet nobody takes notice of her. In fact, there is no communication at all between the guests. Here, Evenepoel describes turn-of-the-century Paris as a jaded and decadent society.

About the Acquisition

At the request of Mathilde Rathenau (1845-1926), a native of Frankfurt, a number of paintings were presented to the Städel in 1926 in memory of her son Walther Rathenau (1867-1922). Walther Rathenau, an industrialist and one of the co-founders of the German Democratic Party, was appointed foreign minister in January 1922. In June of that year he was assassinated in Berlin by the Organisation Consul, whose aim was to fight the Weimar Constitution.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
In the Café d'Harcourt in Paris
Painter
Period Produced
Object Type
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Material
Technique
Label at the Time of Manufacture
Signiert und datiert unten rechts (in Rot): h. evenepoel 1897

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
Public Domain
Acquisition
Acquired in 1926 as a gift from Walther Rathenau’s mother in Memory of her son

Work Content

Motifs and References

Iconclass

Primary
Secondary

Research and Discussion

Provenance

Object History
...
Walther Rathenau (1867-1922), Berlin
Nachlass Walther Rathenau, Berlin, 1922
Vermächtnis Mathilde Rathenau-Nachmann (1845-1926), Berlin zum Andenken an ihren Sohn Walther Rathenau (1867-1922) an das Städelsche Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt am Main, 1926.

Information

Since 2001, the Städel Museum has systematically been researching the provenance of all objects that were acquired during the National Socialist period, or that changed owners or could have changed owners during those years. The basis for this research is the “Washington Declaration”, also known as the “Washington Conference Principles”, formulated at the 1998 “Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets” and the subsequent “Joint Declaration”.

The provenance information is based on the sources researched at the time they were published digitally. However, this information can change at any time when new sources are discovered. Provenance research is therefore a continuous process and one that is updated at regular intervals.

Ideally, the provenance information documents an object’s origins from the time it was created until the date when it found its way into the collection. It contains the following details, provided they are known:

  • the type of acquisition and/or the way the object changed hands
  • the owner's name and place of residence
  • the date on which it changed hands

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Conservation and Restoration

Art-technology findings and/or documentation regarding conservation and restoration are available for this work. If interested, please contact .

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Last update

11.09.2023