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Lot Essay
Henry Kapferer. 40 rue de Buzenval Boulogne
Among Pierre Chareau’s clients, the two brothers Henry and Marcel Kapferer held a special place. They were from a liberal Jewish family, cousins of Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe and both great captains of industry. Early on Henry focused on the oil industry and later devoted himself entirely to the field of aviation; Marcel established the French Shell company. In the same way as the Camondo and Rothschild families they were both involved in the art world. They were childhood friends of Edouard Vuillard, who became the family’s “official” painter. Even today numerous portraits of Kapferers can be found in museum collections. Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard were very close to the two brothers, but as a collector Marcel had a predilection for the works of Cézanne, Van Gogh and Renoir, while Henry’s taste leaned more towards Dufy and La Fresnaye. In the 1920s, Henry Kapferer left his mansion at 8 Rue Pomereu in the 16th arrondissement and moved to 40 Rue de Buzenval that he had just inherited and on which he had had built the Canadian Pavilion for the 1900 Exposition Universelle. It was remodelled by Louis Süe and, in large part, furnished by Pierre Chareau. Henry Kapferer remained a loyal client of Pierre Chareau throughout the designer's illustrious career.
Docteur Francis M. Lamond
Among Pierre Chareau’s clients, the two brothers Henry and Marcel Kapferer held a special place. They were from a liberal Jewish family, cousins of Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe and both great captains of industry. Early on Henry focused on the oil industry and later devoted himself entirely to the field of aviation; Marcel established the French Shell company. In the same way as the Camondo and Rothschild families they were both involved in the art world. They were childhood friends of Edouard Vuillard, who became the family’s “official” painter. Even today numerous portraits of Kapferers can be found in museum collections. Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard were very close to the two brothers, but as a collector Marcel had a predilection for the works of Cézanne, Van Gogh and Renoir, while Henry’s taste leaned more towards Dufy and La Fresnaye. In the 1920s, Henry Kapferer left his mansion at 8 Rue Pomereu in the 16th arrondissement and moved to 40 Rue de Buzenval that he had just inherited and on which he had had built the Canadian Pavilion for the 1900 Exposition Universelle. It was remodelled by Louis Süe and, in large part, furnished by Pierre Chareau. Henry Kapferer remained a loyal client of Pierre Chareau throughout the designer's illustrious career.
Docteur Francis M. Lamond