''Paysage Bords de Seine'' (''On the Shore of the Seine'' or ''Landscape on the Banks of the Seine'') is an 1879 oil painting by

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, feminine sensuality ...

. It was stolen in 1951 from the

Baltimore Museum of Art The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of ...

and resurfaced in 2012.

History

''Paysage Bords de Seine'' was painted by Renoir in 1879. In June 1925, the painting was purchased by the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

art gallery

Bernheim-Jeune Bernheim-Jeune gallery is one of the oldest art galleries in Paris. Opened on Rue Laffitte in 1863 by Alexandre Bernheim (1839-1915), friend of Delacroix, Corot and Courbet, it changed location a few times before settling on Avenue Matignon. Th ...

from a "Madame Papillon" (possibly Alphonsine Fournaise Papillon, a figure in the artist's ''

Luncheon of the Boating Party ''Luncheon of the Boating Party'' french: Le Déjeuner des canotiers is an 1881 painting by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Included in the Seventh Impressionist Exhibition in 1882, it was identified as the best painting in the show ...

''). In January 1926, Herbert L. May purchased the painting from Bernheim-Jeune. In 1937, May's ex-wife, Saidie May, loaned the painting to the Baltimore Museum of Art. In her

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and wi ...

, Saidie May bequeathed the painting, along with all her other artworks, to the Baltimore Museum of Art. She died on May 28, 1951.

Theft and rediscovery

Sometime between the evening of November 16, 1951, and a little after noon on November 17, ''Paysage Bords de Seine'' was stolen from the Baltimore Museum of Art during the "From Ingres to Gauguin" show.Baltimore Museum of Art asks judge to dismiss woman's claims to Renoir painting
/ref> The museum sold the title of the painting in an insurance claim of $2,500 to

Fireman's Fund Insurance Company Fireman's Fund Insurance Company was an insurance company based in Petaluma, California which provided personal and commercial property and casualty insurance products in the United States. The company was a principal U.S. subsidiary of Allianz, ...

, which paid the museum for the loss. In July 2012, Marcia Fuqua brought the painting to The Potomack Company

auction house An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

, to sell. Fuqua claimed that she bought the painting at a flea market in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

for $7 in late 2009, however a family member said the painting had been in the family for "50 or 60 years" (he later changed his account) and other witnesses claimed to have seen the painting in the family's possession decades before the attempted sale. The Potomack Company cancelled the auction scheduled for September 29, 2012, and the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice ...

seized the painting and opened an investigation into the theft. In November 2013, the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company transferred the title of the painting from the insurance claim back to the Baltimore Museum of Art. On January 10, 2014, U.S. District Judge

Leonie Brinkema Leonie Helen Milhomme Brinkema (born June 26, 1944) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Early life and education She was born as Leonie Milhomme in Teaneck, New Jersey. S ...

ruled that the painting rightfully belongs to the Baltimore Museum of Art. The FBI returned the painting to the museum on January 31, 2014.

Return to Baltimore Museum of Art

Shortly after regaining possession of the painting, the Baltimore Museum of Art put the artwork on display in an exhibition titled "The Renoir Returns" running from March 30 through July 20, 2014.

History

Theft and rediscovery

Return to Baltimore Museum of Art

References

Further reading