Chasing history

One of the most fruitful provenance discoveries within the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ European collection centres on Gustave Courbet’s 1873 painting Landscape with stag.

When it was acquired at Christie’s, New York, in May 1997, the painting’s recorded provenance was limited to a single collector’s name and place: ‘Carl Matthiessen, Saltsjöbaden [Stockholm county, Sweden]’ – a mere skerrick to begin reconstructing a line of ownership. Consequently, its provenance remained clouded for two decades. During that time, however, great strides were made in the fields of provenance research, most notably with the emergence of the internet.

The painting’s history between 1873 and the early 1900s remains unknown. However, we now know that around 1919 the painting was taken from Paris to Norway by the Norwegian art dealer Walther Halvorsen.

Halvorsen had studied at the Académie Matisse in Paris, but quickly laid painting aside to embark upon a career as a dealer. For many years he lived in the French capital and established numerous contacts within French art circles through his marriage and friendships. He organised a crucial exhibition of French art in Oslo during World War I, followed by further exhibitions of French art in Norway, Sweden and Denmark between 1916 and 1938. By introducing the work of French impressionists, post-impressionists and cubists to Scandinavia, Halvorsen was responsible for stimulating a new interest in modern French art in his homeland, playing a seminal role in the establishment of key private collections, including those of Norway’s richest shipowners.

During and after World War I, the economies of neutral Norway, Sweden and Denmark grew stronger. Large private fortunes were created in the shipping trade. This economic upswing also benefited the arts. However, in the early 1920s the boom was followed by high inflation, currency depreciation and an overheated economy; numerous fortunes were quickly lost. Some of the private art collections were even more fleeting than the fortunes that had created them. Businessmen began to sell off their collections, and many of their works are found in major American and European art museums today.