[Art] [Manet, Édouard] (Leenhoff, Léon) Exposition Des Oeuvres De Édouard Manet...

Catalogue of Édouard Manet's memorial exhibition, inscribed by Léon Leenhoff, his purported son

Paris: A. Quantin, Janvier 1884. First edition. 8vo. 72 pp. Presentation copy, warmly inscribed by Léon Leenhoff to Mrs. Anna Dike Scott (née Riddle) (1839-1901), one of the earliest American collectors of Impressionist art, and the second wife of American industrialist Thomas A. Scott (1821-81), fourth president of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Assistant Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln, translated from the French: "To Madame Scott--As evidence, testimony of my thanks for her assistance leading to the success of the Exposition of works of my stepfather, Edouard Manet. Léon Leenhoff Ecole des Beaux Arts January 1884". Preface by Émile Zola. Tipped-in at rear is a partial auction catalogue of the two-day Manet estate sale held at the Hotel Drouot, Paris, February 4-5, 1884 (Catalogue de Tableaux Pastels Etudes, Dessins, Gravures par Édouard Manet...Hotel Drouot, 4 et Mardi 5 Fevrier 1884; 8, 25-32 pp., lacking pp. 1-24). Original green cloth, stamped in gilt, boards worn and affected by damp; dampstaining to fore-edge of text, scattered old mold residue from same; scattered foxing to text; open tear in fore-edge of pp. (5/6); contemporary newspaper clippings concerning this exhibition and sale mounted to six (of eight) sale catalogue pages at rear.

A scarce catalogue from Édouard Manet's memorial exhibition, held at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the first retrospective of his work following his death. Featuring an introduction by Émile Zola, a listing of the 179 paintings, drawings, and other works that were on view, and followed by a short essay by journalist M. Antonin Proust.

Léon Leenhoff (1852-1927) served on the committee that organized this exhibition. In his inscription in this volume he warmly gives thanks to Mrs. Scott for her assistance with the show, as she was a patron of Manet's work and loaned two pastels for the exhibition: Jeune fille en deshabille (No. 125 in this catalogue: "Appartient a Mme Scott."), and Femme couchee (No. 135, "Appartient a Mme Scott."). Jeune fille en deshabille was acquired by Mrs. Scott, from Leon, only a month before this inscription, on December 10, 1883.

There is speculation concerning Leenhoff's birth and his relation to the famous French painter. Léon was born out of wedlock in 1852 to Suzanne Leenhoff. Earlier, in 1849, Suzanne was hired by the painter's father, Auguste, to teach his children piano, and shortly after she and Édouard began a long relationship. They married in 1863. When Léon was born Suzanne recorded his last name as Koëlla, but it is speculated that this was an invention to hide his true origins. During his upbringing Léon was referred to as Suzanne's brother, and it is assumed that because of the stigma at the time of a child being born out of wedlock, Suzanne, and Édouard, wished to avoid acknowledging the child as their own. Another account of the matter speculates that Léon was actually the son of Édouard's father, Auguste, and that Suzanne was his mistress. Léon's inscription here lends credence to this possibility.

Léon often posed for Manet, and is the subject of, or is featured in, around 17 of his works, including Boy Carrying a Sword (1861), Boy Blowing Bubbles (1867), A Young Man Peeling a Pear (1868), and Interior at Arcachon (1871). Following Manet's death Léon catalogued and kept records of his works and organized his correspondence.

Anna Dike Scott (née Riddle) (1839-1901) was an early patron of Impressionist art, and cousin to American artist Mary Cassatt. In 1882, she traveled to Paris and purchased works from numerous budding artists, including Manet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, and Cassatt. Although not included in this exhibition, Mrs. Scott, during that trip, purchased directly from Manet Portrait of Émilie Ambre as Carmen (1880), which was gifted by Scott descendants to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1964.

Provenance

Anna Dike Scott, thence by descent in the family