Alfred Pope: An Evolution of Ingenuity

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919)

1. Jeune fille au chat


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Jeune fille au chat (Girl with a Cat), 1882

Oil on canvas, 39 3/8 × 31 7/8 in. (100 × 81 cm). Private collection.

Jeune fille au chat is the only work by Renoir that Alfred purchased. It is also one of two works that once belonged to Potter Palmer, the American businessman responsible for much of the development of State Street in Chicago. Palmer owned the work from September 30 until December 13, 1892. On that same day, Alfred acquired the painting through Boussod, Valadon et Cie. Upon his death in 1913, Alfred bequeathed the work to his trusted friend and fellow art collector, Harris Whittemore. Although Harris passed away in 1926, the painting remained as part of his estate until at least 1954, when oil executive, arts patron and philanthropist Charles B. Wrightsman of New York purchased it. After his passing in 1986, his wife, Jayne Wrightsman, auctioned the painting at Sotheby’s New York in 1990. After the sale, the painting entered a private collection.

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