The Avenue in Saint-Cloud Park, Henri Rousseau
Henri Rousseau
The Avenue in Saint-Cloud Park
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Henri Rousseau

The Avenue in Saint-Cloud Park, ca. 1908


Dimensions
46.2 x 37.6 cm
Physical Description
Oil on canvas
Inventory Number
SG 404
Acquisition
Acquired in 1926
Status
On display, 1st upper level, Modern Art, room 7

Texts

About the Work

At the age of 41, Henri Rousseau quit his job as a customs official to be able to devote himself solely to painting. Self-taught, he developed a style characterised by distortions, incongruous proportions and perspectives. Here, tiny people walk along an avenue with trees lined up uniformly. Every detail, whether in the foreground or background, is, in a certain naïve manner, treated with equal importance. Due to the fusion of dream world and reality in his works, Rousseau is considered one of the pioneers of Surrealism.

About the Acquisition

Pauline Kowarzik (née Fellner; 1852–1929) grew up in Frankfurt and received private painting and drawing lessons at a young age. In 1896, she married the Viennese sculptor and medallist Josef Kowarzik (1860–1911), who taught sculpture at the Städelschule. Together, they were very active participants of Frankfurt’s art life and closely associated with the Städel Art Institute. Due to her notable knowledge of modern art, Pauline Kowarzik was the first woman to be appointed as a member with advisory capacity in the acquisition committee of the Städtische Galerie in 1916. Kowarzik herself owned a significant collection with modern art works. When the inflation in 1926 got her into financial trouble, Pauline Kowarzik sold her private collection to the Städel for a monthly life annuity. In 1937, 18 of the 34 works were removed from the museum as part of the “Degenerate Art” confiscation operation. Nowadays, they are either lost or in other museums all over Europe. Heckel’s "Landscape in Holstein" was the only one of these works that the Städel was able to buy back.

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Last update

18.07.2024