Lucy said that was typical of the Philadelphia collector.
“That is very Barnes,” Lucy said. “That is a strategy. He would pretend that he didn’t want things that he really did want, to try to get the price down.”
In 1934, Barnes advised Bignou to find someone who would buy “The Henriot Family” for $75,000. In 1935, Bignou put it on display, where it was reviewed as “replete with Renoir’s irresistible ability to project his sense of the deliciousness of life.”
Barnes then bought the painting for $50,000. It was his 175th Renoir. He would ultimately own 181.
“The Henriot Family” is expected to be returned to the Barnes Foundation gallery wall in February. Lucy believes the cleaned and repaired painting will convey a whole new vibe.
“Even though we knew the varnish was dirty, you think of it as that color, sort of a warm sunlight,” she said. “But here, it’s a totally different kind of atmosphere. It’s a totally different kind of day. It feels like it’s midday, or like early morning, rather than a late-afternoon golden sunlight.”