Berend Groeneveld and Atelier André Lhote: A Butter Merchant in Paris
Updated: Aug 29
This past summer, I was once again a guest at the home of an Amsterdam collector. This gentleman boasts an impressive collection of paintings and drawings; from Amsterdam impressionists, Flemish old masters to international avant-garde. There is a wondrous dynamic between us, as he invites me every month to showcase a part of his collection, giving me the choice to either purchase works directly or take them on consignment. Each time, he presents me with a different folder, box, or painting on the wall that he suspects might pique my interest. A ritual that has now persisted for about two years. This time, he unveiled a painting that didn't immediately strike me, until I examined the work up close. In the oil painting of a naively painted street in Paris, one of the shop signs revealed the name of an old acquaintance: French artist and theoretician André Lhote.
Who was the Dutch artist Berend Groeneveld?
This playful street scene was crafted by Dutch artist Berend Groeneveld (1866-1941). His career began in the Groningen town of Bedum as a trader in butter and cheese, but once he passed the age of forty, he changed course entirely, dedicating himself fully to the art of painting. He moved to Amsterdam where he received painting lessons from both Martin Monnickendam and his mentor Simon Maris, becoming a valued member of Arti et Amicitiae. From 1929 until his death, Groeneveld spent every summer, from early June to mid-September, in the cultural capital of Europe: Paris. There, he immersed himself in the bohemian lifestyle, earning the nickname 'le peintre Hollandais'.
Thanks to Simon Maris, Groeneveld became acquainted with Piet Mondrian, from whom he received painting lessons in the 1930s. This led to a friendship, with Groeneveld attending lessons every other week, culminating in culinary delights at one of their favorite restaurants. The former butter and cheese merchant immersed himself in the cultural scene, encountering remarkable figures such as Ernest Hemingway and the painter Salvador Mundi. Groeneveld's artistic focus primarily lay in painting Parisian cityscapes, capturing strolling ladies and characteristic streets in a naive style, playing with perspective and color.
Rue d'Odessa: The Sign of Académie André Lhote
The painting in question is a fine example of this. It was probably painted sometime after 1929 and before the outbreak of the Second World War. The scene depicts the Rue d’Odessa in Montparnasse.
Around 1900, Montparnasse emerged as the international centre of the avant-garde, taking over from Montmartre. One of the most notable artists on the street was the celebrated Cubist painter and theorist André Lhote (1885–1962). In 1925, he founded his own art school at number 18, the Académie André Lhote. Over the course of his career, he would teach and inspire hundreds of artists from around the world.
Lhote also wrote extensively about art, publishing theoretical works such as Traité du Paysage in 1939. He gave lectures abroad and attracted students from Turkey, Sweden, Egypt and even Japan to his classes. He was particularly popular among women, who were often excluded from established institutions such as the École des Beaux-Arts, France’s national art school.
Among his Dutch students were Charlotte van Pallandt, Sárika Góth, Sierk Schröder, Julie van der Veen and Anne Marie Blaupot ten Cate. Groeneveld may simply have included Lhote’s sign by chance. Whether the two artists ever knew each other personally remains unknown.
The Amsterdam collector had, of course, not hung the work without reason. He knew of my particular interest in André Lhote, which began with the discovery of an oil painting by Lhote in the summer of 2020 and continued with my academic research into the artist and his relationship with the Netherlands.
His plan had worked. He was one painting lighter, and I went home with a little more bubble wrap than I had arrived with. We have already arranged our next meeting, and I am curious to see what I will be taking home next time.
