Paul Cezanne, Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, ca. 1890, oil on canvas, Bequest of Sam A. Lewisohn, 1951, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
Title: Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses, ca. 1890
Artist: Paul Cezanne (1839-1906)
Have you ever wondered about the ownership–or the provenance–of a painting? Who, for instance, once hung the masterpiece Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses on the walls of his or her home? For the history of this work of art by the great French master Paul Cezanne is impressive, starting with Julien-Francois (pere) Tanguy, a Parisian paint dealer and gallery owner, who once posed for Vincent van Gogh, resulting in three portraits.
Next French artist Paul Helleu (1859-1927) had the still life in his possession, in 1894 presenting it as a gift to his friend Impressionist Claude Monet who apparently enjoyed Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses for the rest of his life. Because at his death in 1926, it was inherited by his son Michel Monet. Then, by 1929, it was sold to New York investment banker Adolph Lewisohn (1849-1938), which was passed onto his son Sam A. Lewisohn (1884-1951) an attorney, financier, and philanthropist, who bequeathed it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1951.
Note: Provenance based on Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York.
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