Baden’s Langmatt Museum auctions Cézanne paintings in New York
Published: Monday, Nov 6th 2023, 14:40
Mise à jour le : Mardi 7 novembre 2023, 00:54
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One to three Cézanne paintings from the collection of the Langmatt Museum in Baden AG will be sold at an auction in New York on Thursday evening (local time). The distress sale of the museum paintings has been criticized. The heirs of a former co-owner of the most valuable painting are also to receive a share of the proceeds from the sale.
"It pains us very much that we have to sell the paintings, but it is the last resort, it is the only way to save the museum," said Lukas Breunig, President of the Board of Trustees of the Museum Langmatt, when the plans to sell were announced in 2020.
The Langmatt Museum has an important collection of works by French Impressionists. In addition to Paul Cézanne, these include Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Gauguin. The paintings are exhibited in the Langmatt, a former manufacturer's villa built around 1900 by a co-founder of Brown Boveri & Cie (BBC).
Millions for the foundation capital
The hoped-for proceeds of 40 million francs will be used to increase the museum's endowment capital. In June, voters in Baden approved a loan of CHF 10 million for the complete renovation of the museum at a cost of CHF 18.8 million.
Following a lengthy decision-making process, the Foundation Board has selected three paintings by Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) for auction. After being viewed in Hong Kong, London and Taipei in October, they will be auctioned in New York next Thursday (local time).
Decisions are made in New York
The first painting to go under the hammer at the New York auction house Christie's is "Fruits et pot de gingembre" (Fruits and Ginger Pot), which has been estimated at between 35 and 55 million US dollars. "Foundation Board President Lukas Breunig, Vice President Stefan Bräm and I will be present in person in New York," said Museum Director Markus Stegmann at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency.
This is also to decide on the spot whether all three works will be auctioned. The two other Cézannes will only be auctioned if the foundation's capital is not reached at the first auction. These are the works "Quatre pommes et un couteau" (estimated value of 7 to 10 million francs) and "La mer à l'Estaque" (3 to 5 million francs).
Criticism of the sale of museum paintings
The auction of museum paintings has met with massive criticism. It is a "breach of the dam" and a "breach of taboo", said Tobia Bezzola, President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and museum director in Lugano, on Swiss radio SRF. The sale called into question a consensus among museums that the collections would not be touched.
Agreement with heirs of previous Jewish owner
The Langmatt Foundation was able - at the last minute, so to speak - to clarify a problem with the provenance of the main work "Fruits et pot de gingembre". According to the foundation, in-depth research revealed that half of the painting, which was purchased by the foundation's founders Jenny and Sidney Brown at the "L'Art Moderne" gallery in Lucerne in 1933 for 57,000 francs, had belonged to the German-Jewish art collector Jakob Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt may have had to sell the painting under pressure.
"Although the painting is certainly not looted art and Goldschmidt's heirs themselves were surprised by our demand, there is a moral obligation to find a fair and just solution based on the Washington Principles," says museum director Stegmann. The heirs were promised financial compensation in a contract, but the amount was not disclosed.
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