National Museum Wales will restore a Manet thanks to TEFAF

The National Museum Wales will receive €20,000 from the European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) to restore thePortrait of Monsieur Jules Dejouy painted by Édouard Manet in 1879. The work was acquired by the museum in 2019 after being in the same private family collection for more than 90 years. Jules Dejouy was not only Manet’s older cousin, but also an important figure in the artist’s life: a successful lawyer, he was appointed to the imperial court in France in 1849. After the death of the artist’s father in 1862, Dejouy was appointed adviser and guide to Manet and his brothers, and the latter relied on him during the most important moments of his life. During the siege of Paris in 1870, the artist sent valuables to his cousin for safekeeping. Dejouy was also appointed by Manet as his executor and was part of the committee that organized the 1884 exhibition after the artist’s death, along with Emile Zola, painters such as Fantin-Latour, and merchants such as Durand-Ruel and Georges Petit. This portrait was also on display in the exhibition.

The oil on canvas painting was originally owned by Dejouy and has remained in good condition, almost intact. The restoration project includes a technical and conservation examination that aims to provide a better understanding of the portrait, its presentation and legibility. TEFAF funding will also support historical research conducted by the National Museum Wales to place the portrait of Monsieur Jules Dejouy in its own art historical context, particularly in relation to the three other Manet works in the museum’s collection, Snow Effects at Petit Montrouge (1870 -71), Argenteuil, Boat (1874) and The Rabbit (1881).

“This prestigious award from the European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) will enable National Museum Wales to restore and then present Manet’s Portrait of Monsieur Jules Dejouy to the public after more than ninety years,” said David Anderson, director general Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. "As a charity, we are extremely grateful to TEFAF for the support and would also like to thank the Friends of the Museum and the Finnis Scott Foundation for their contributions. Amgueddfa Cymru houses one of the world’s largest collections of 19th and early 20th century French art, thanks to the generous bequests of sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies. Manet’s Portrait of Jules Dejouy will feel right at home here."

“The painting is currently covered in surface dirt and discolored varnish,” said Adam Webster, chief conservator Art, Natural Sciences & Presentive Conservations at the National Museum Wales. “Removing these will likely recover the delicacy of the painting, resaturate its image and offer a greater sense of depth in the work.” He continues: “Another important aspect of this project is the technical examination using ultraviolet light, grazing light, infrared reflectography and X-ray. These should provide new insight into Manet’s working methods, such as changes in composition and pictorial processes. Added to this is the examination of pigments and layer structure with microscopy, which will help enrich the existing knowledge base on Manet’s technique.”

Pictured is the detail of the face in Manet’s Portrait of Monsieur Jules Dejouy (1879)

National Museum Wales will restore a Manet thanks to TEFAF

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