Henri Rousseau

Le lion, ayant faim, se jette sur l’antilope (1898-1905) is one of the highlights of the Beyeler collection and one of the largest, most important works painted by Henri Rousseau. The conservation of the painting was completed in little over a year. The goal was to optimize the work aesthetically. To that end, the soiled surface had to be cleaned with dry synthetic sponges. The research project led to surprising revelations about Rousseau's painting materials and to overpainting that might have been executed by the painter himself.

Henri Rousseau (1844–1910) was one of the most unconventional artists of the late 19th century. Being an autodidact, he was not taken seriously by the academic art scene, critics, or by the public at first. Only in the 20th century did he earn recognition for his work, especially in avant-garde circles. He made his breakthrough at the prestigious Salon d'Automne in Paris in 1905 with his large-format jungle painting Le lion, ayant faim, se jette sur l‘antilope, which today is one of the highlights of the Beyeler Collection.

The earliest-known paintings by the Parisian customs agent date from 1877. In 1885, he quit his job at the customs bureau to devote himself entirely to painting. He began exhibiting at the Salon des Indépendants in 1886. He was a friend of the poet Alfred Jarry and knew Gauguin, Redon, Seurat, and Pissarro. In 1891 he began painting exotic, fantastical motifs. In 1906 he met Delaunay, Picasso and the circle of people surrounding Apollinaire. Picasso held a banquet in his honor the following year.

The paint layer of Le Lyon, ayant faim, se jette sur l’antilope is in very good condition, but visually somewhat compromised by an accumulation of dirt and minor damages which have occurred over time. Exhaustive research was necessary to develop a suitable conservation strategy. The project also aimed to reach conclusions about earlier overpainting, readily visible to viewers. It was uncertain whether these were from the artist or a later addition.

In order to determine the origin of the overpainting, historical photographs of the jungle painting were used for comparison. Scientific examination ultimately confirmed the similarities between the overpainting material and Rousseau's original paint layer in regard to date and composition. It was therefore concluded that these areas could have been added by the artist himself (figure 1). Although noticeable due to their color change, the overpainted areas were thus not removed.