JAN VAN BEERS (1852-1927) Lot n° 16

'Elsie de Wolfe about 1910'. Oil on panel (mahogany). Signed 'Jan Van Beers'. Provenance: Private collection, Aartselaar Jan Van Beers starts his painting career with history paintings, but his real success comes with small to miniature portraits of the, mostly female, beau monde. He grows up in an artistic milieu: his father is the well-known poet Jan Van Beers (senior), his mother Hendrika Mertens is the daughter of the Antwerp city librarian. Like many contemporaries, Van Beers moves to Paris after his academic training. The wealthy Parisian bourgeoisie loves his hyper-realistic paintings depicting beautifully dressed ladies. They became his trademark from 1880 onwards. As a successful and turbulent artist, he likes to be in the limelight. As a result, he inevitably also often gets embroiled in controversy. In 1881, he exhibits two of his works at the Brussels Salon. Three critics believe they recognise a photograph under the layer of paint. This incident is immediately much discussed in the press and a lawsuit is even filed. Van Beers feels compelled to make a proposal: scratch away the paint. If the critics are right, the artist will pay a sum of money. None of the accusers dares to accept this, yet one day the painting is found scratched away. An unknown person, perhaps prompted by the great controversy surrounding the trial, had become too curious. Although ink markings are found underneath, there is not enough evidence to suggest that a photograph was painted over. Van Beers leaves the trial behind and, above all, does not let it get to his heart. His popularity reaches an unprecedented peak. He keeps the vandalised painting in his own personal collection after the Salon. Today, it is completely off the radar. At KMSKA, some of his paintings were examined using the most modern techniques. This showed that he did not paint over pictures, but rather copied them, which other contemporaries also did. 24 x 19 cm (39 x 34 cm)