André Amédée Nicolas Lefèvre (Q86245903)
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French art collector (1883-1963)
- André Lefèvre
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | André Amédée Nicolas Lefèvre |
French art collector (1883-1963) |
|
Statements
4 August 1963
2 references
André Lefèvre
1 reference
It appears that in 1942 the Nazis exchanged “The Guitar Player” — along with works by Matisse, Leger, Picasso and de Chirico — for an “Adoration of the Magi” by a German master. The Nazis considered most modern art “degenerate” and usually bartered such works for art that corresponded to their Aryan ideal, often trading several modern works for a single painting by a Dutch or German master. The Paris art dealer who received the painting in exchange for the “Adoration of the Magi” then sold the Braque, which had several owners before emerging at a 1948 exhibit with the mention “Collection of Andre Lefevre.” Upon Lefevre’s death, it was sold at auction in 1965 to Heinz Berggruen, a German-American collector living in Paris. A Braque by the same name, but painted in 1911, hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 1976, Berggruen lent the painting to the Pompidou Center, which bought it in 1981 for some $1.5 million with a loan from the French government. Kann’s heirs have already recovered one Cubist painting from the Pompidou Center, “Landscape” by Albert Gleizes. It was looted from Kann’s home at the same time as the Braque, but was returned to France from Germany right after the war. (English)
1 reference
Quatre ans après la première réclamation déposée par les ayants droit du collectionneur Alphonse Kann, spolié par les nazis en 1941, l'enquête se resserre donc inévitablement autour des responsables du centre et du Musée national d'art moderne (Mnam) qui en dépend. Le musée a acheté la peinture en 1981 au galeriste allemand Heinz Berggruen. Il l'avait obtenue d'un grand collectionneur, André Lefèvre, qui lui-même l'avait achetée après la guerre. Seul problème: elle avait été pillée avec le reste de la collection Kann dans sa villa de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, avant d'être recyclée sur le marché parisien sous l'Occupation. (French)