Nature morte (Violon et encrier), 1913

The painting “Nature morte (Violon et encrier),” 1913, was owned until 1914 by the German art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, who had run a gallery in Paris since 1907. Due to the First World War, his entire estate was confiscated as enemy property in France and auctioned off in four auctions at the Hôtel Drouot from 1921 onwards. With the help of an intermediary named M. Grassat, Kahnweiler joined forces with various people to buy back some of the works at the auctions including “Nature morte (Violon et encrier)” at the first auction in June 1921. The work was subsequently inventoried at Galerie Simon, which Kahnweiler and André Simon founded in the late summer of 1920. In 1925, the painting can be found in an exhibition at Galerie Alfred Flechtheim, Düsseldorf, as confirmed by a location note in Carl Einstein’s 1926 publication Die Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts. From 1928, it was identified in various catalogs and publications as the property of Alfred Flechtheim, for the last time in April 1933 at an exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zürich. However, ownership by Flechtheim has not yet been proven beyond doubt. In November 1933, the painting was sent from Zurich to Galerie Simon, Paris, on behalf of Galerie Alfred Flechtheim in Berlin and shortly afterwards was part of an exhibition at the Mayor Gallery, London. It is assumed that the work was sold to Anna Dorothea Ventris, London, at the time of the exhibition, and that it remained with her son, Michael Ventris, London, until 1955. The Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, purchased the painting at the beginning of 1964 through Galerie Nathan, Zurich, which received it from Galerie Berggruen & Cie. at an unknown date after 1955.

Provenance research is a central concern and an important area of work for the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen. In 2008, the legal representatives of the heirs of Alfred Flechtheim submitted a restitution request to the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen regarding the painting “Nature morte (Violon et encrier)” by Juan Gris. In response, the Kunstsammlung commissioned independent provenance researchers to conduct a thorough investigation into the history of the artwork. Following the completion of this research, the heirs and the Kunstsammlung jointly agreed in 2014 to refer the case to the Advisory Commission, with the shared aim of reaching a fair and just solution. In its recommendation dated March 21, 2016, the Advisory Commission advised against the restitution of “Nature morte (Violon et encrier).” After careful examination, it concluded that the sale of the painting in London in 1934 did not constitute a loss of property due to persecution under National Socialism in the case of Alfred Flechtheim.