RIHA Journal 0090 | 22 May 2014 The Steins and the Hungarians Gergely Barki Institute for Art History, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Aca emy of !ciences, "u a#est Peer review and editing managed by: Ju it Falu y, Institute for Art History, Research Centre for the Humanities, Hungarian Aca emy of !ciences, "u a#est Reviewers: Jack Flam, Re&ecca Ra&ino' Abstract The traveling exhibition entitled "The Steins Collect" (2011-12) again drew attention – and on this occasion in a manner perhaps more vivid than an exhibition to date – to the importance o! the systematicall canon-shaping wor" that too" place in two tin #arisian ateliers (one in the $%e de &le%r%s, the other in the $%e de (adame) in terms o! the new painterl movements that emerged at the beginning o! the 20th cent%r ) *eo' +ertr%de' and (ichael' three siblings !rom the Stein !amil ' a !amil o! ,ewish origin !rom San &rancisco' along with (ichael-s wi!e Sarah' not onl b%ilt within the space o! a !ew ears the most important contemporar art collection in #aris, b%t thro%gh their livel salons came to be the most in!l%ential shapers and propagators o! %niversal modernism' making their in!l%ence !elt to this da on assessments o! avant-garde art) In the co%rse o! preparations !or the exhibition and the p%blication o! the accompan ing catalog%e' both o! which provide a comprehensive surve o! the Steins' activit ' light was cast on the !amil -s /%ngarian connections as well) Conse0%entl ' one painting b the /%ngarian 1ilmos #elrott-Csaba was incl%ded at the 2merican ven%es (San &rancisco and 3ew 4or") o! the exhibition' and a presentation on the !amil -s ties to /%ngar was held at the scholarl con!erence organi5ed in connection with the exhibition) Despite the !act that several essa s have been p%blished on this sub7ect' the written so%rces have not been collected – neither those dealing with the large n%mber o! /%ngarians present at the Steins' Sat%rday evening gatherings, nor those covering the /%ngarian p%pils at the 2cad8mie (atisse' which was closel aligned with the Steins. This essa is a revised version o! the presentation held at the (etropolitan (%se%m o! 2rt in 3ew 4or"' supplemented with additional so%rce-material) Contents Intro uction Hungarian In(asion at the !teins' *eo !tein, the +rue Me iator, or, the Mont#arnasse A#ostle Assimilate Je's from "u a#est an !an Francisco in Mont#arnasse *'Aca -mie Matisse In Henri Matisse's !tu io .isits &y Hungarian Cu&ists an /ther 0/ &alls" to the !teins ntroduction 91: "The Steins Collect; (atisse' #icasso' and the #arisian 2vant-+arde'" a traveling exhibition accompanied b an ambitio%s catalog%e that showcased man !acets o! the Stein !amil -s collection and canon-creating activit ' o!!ered man pleasant developments !or researchers in /%ngar )1 2ltho%gh there are onl a !ew /%ngarian threads, sparsel 1 The exhibition was shown at the San &rancisco (useum o! (odern 2rt (S&(<(2)' (a 21 - September =' 2011> $8union des (us8es 3ationaux – +rand #alais' #aris' <ctober ?' 2011 - ,anuar 22' 2012> The (etropolitan (use%m o! 2rt' 3ew 4or"' &ebruar 21 - ,%ne @' 2012) The English-language catalogue appeared as The Steins Collect. Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian License: The text of this article is provided under the terms of the Creative Commons License CC-BY3NC-ND 3.0 RIHA Journal 0090 | 22 May 2014 interwoven in the histor o! the 2merican !amil ' the topic deserves additional attention' given the excl%sivel /%ngarian so%rces that can contrib%te to international scholarship on earl 20th-cent%r art) (%ch o! this material is %np%blished and available onl in /%ngarian' so it has remained %n"nown to !oreign scholars and' !or that matter' to man /%ngarian scholars as well)2 1 The Stein children, together with their tutor and governess, Vienna, 1877 (?). Archive photo (Po%orny & Reuter, Vienna). 4ale Collection of American Literature, Beinec%e Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, Ne' Haven, Image ID: 1357928 92: The richness o! the so%rce material is made even more compelling than"s to the /%ngarian connection at the earl stages o! the Stein !amil -s collecting) Be co%ld even assert (with some strong exaggeration) that the Steins' collecting endeavors were than"s to a /%ngarian) (&ig) 1) In Crenda Bineapple-s boo" abo%t +ertr%de and *eo Stein' we !ind' "Since his o%th' when his t%tor had introd%ced him to the 7o s o! collecting' 9*eo Stein: relished its satisfaction)"@ 2ccording to this, the /%ngarian governess, who was Avant-Garde) ,anet Cishop' C8cile 6ebra ' and $ebecca $ainbow' eds) 3ew /aven and London, San &rancisco (use%m o! (odern 2rt in association with 4ale Dniversit #ress' 2011 9hereafter' The Steins Collect' 2011:) The &rench catalogue !eatured somewhat di!!erent content with more &rench authors and was titled Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso ... l'aventure des Stein' exposition catalogue) 1ilmos #erlrott-Csaba's painting Female Nude ($ippl-$Enai (F5eum' GaposvHr' .tem 3o); ??)I0@)' which was painted in (atisse-s studio' was exhibited in both San &rancisco and 3ew 4or") 2dditionall several essa s cited the /ungarian sources that . !orwarded to $ebecca $abinow' curator o! the 3ew 4or" exhibit and co-editor o! the catalogue) . would li"e to thank Shelle Bertheim and $obert (c6 #ar"er !or their contrib%tions' as well as $ebecca $abinow' !or her assistance in gathering Stein doc%mentation !or the doc%mentar !ilm n Search o! The Eight' as well as !or inviting me' the onl !oreign guest' to speak at the Scholars- 6a organi5ed in conjunction with her presentation o! "The Steins Collect" at The (etropolitan (useum o! 2rt on (a 2' 2012) Special thanks are due to #ro!) ,ac" &lam !or his !riendl support o! m presentation. 2 (an o! the sources that . used in m presentation (as well as the re-wor"ed version published here) were translated into English speci!icall !or "The Steins Collect" exhibition catalogue) See also catalogues !or the /ungarian &auves exhibition series and The Eight exhibition, published in English, &rench, and +erman) @ Wineapple' Crenda. Sister $rother% Gertrude and Leo Stein) 3ew 4or"; +) #) #utnam-s Sons' 1JJ=) 2t !irst' Leo collected moths and other animals' then (together with his siblings) reproductions clipped !rom periodicals' and later ,apanese woodcuts and anti0ue !urniture during his universit ears) License: The text of this article is provided under the terms of the Creative Commons License CC-BY3NC-ND 3.0 RIHA Journal 0090 | 22 May 2014 responsible !or the bo s' %pbringing d%ring the !amil -s three- ear residence in 1ienna (1KL?-1KLK)' was responsible !or a de!ining experience in the Steins' lives (or at least *eo-s)) &or *eo Stein collecting was the medi%m thro%gh which he !ormed relationships with others. Bto#C Hungarian nvasion at the Steins! 9@: Cecause she ver p%blicl too" credit !or the discover and patronage o! (atisse and #icasso in The Auto'io#raph) o! Alice $. To*las' +ertr%de has erroneo%sl been considered responsible !or the !ormation o! the Stein !amil collections. /er claims have been supported b her strong temperament (diametricall opposed to *eo-s)' her asto%nding sel!-promotional skills, and most o! all to the success o! her autobiographical boo"' which was also translated into /%ngarian)I 3evertheless, as "The Steins Collect" so care!%ll documents, this predominant role is not in accordance with realit at all) The Steins' /%ngarian relationships were overwhelmingl d%e to *eo) 9I: 3onetheless, in terms o! /%ngarian connections, +ertr%de Stein-s boo" still proves to be a presio%s reso%rce) 2t the start o! the boo"' she con7%res %p the spirit o! the atelier' established in the now !amo%s 2L $%e de &le%r%s, with the passage; "The room was soon ver ver !%ll and who were the all) +ro%ps o! /%ngarian painters and writers, it happened that some /%ngarian had once been bro%ght and the word had spread !rom him thro%gho%t all /%ngar ' an village where there was a o%ng man who had ambitions heard o! 2L $%e de &le%r%s and then he lived b%t to get there and a great man did get there) The were alwa s there' all si5es and shapes, all degrees o! wealth and povert ' some ver charming' some simpl ro%gh and ever now and then a ver beauti!%l o%ng peasant)"? 9?: Bell into the boo"' while attempting to revive an entire era' the time o! beginnings aro%nd 1J0=' she writes, "It was at that time that the /%ngarians began their pilgrimages to the $%e de &le%r%s."= It can be no accident that +ertr%de Stein sho%ld single o%t the /%ngarians' visits or sho%ld consider their presence so stri"ing) Indeed' among the /%ngarians' the door"nob passed !rom hand to hand' and word spread !rom mo%th to mo%th that in the #arisian st%dio that +ertr%de and *eo shared' one co%ld view an %nrivaled concentration o! (atisse and #icasso wor"s. *ater' when the !lat in (ontparnasse became a !amo%s destination !or those both !rom A%rope and abroad who were interested in art' the dominant /%ngarian presence among the g%ests was still remar"able) +ertr%de Stein described the earl 1J10s, "The Sat%rda evenings in those I Stein, +ertrude) The Auto'iography o! Alice $.