Portrait of Ignacy Jan Paderewski (Hommage au Grand Polonais)

The image shows Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860–1941), Polish pianist, composer and distinguished politician and advocate of Poland’s independence. According to the dated signature on the pastel, Kaufmann made this portrait in 1916 in Vevey, Switzerland. This was where, in January 1915, the Swiss General Relief Committee for Victims of the War in Poland was founded by writer Henryk Sienkiewicz and Paderewski. The latter was at the time enjoying the fame of being a great virtuoso, whose concerts attracted huge crowds that included the most prominent European and American personalities from the world of politics and culture. In February 2015, Paderewski left for Paris, “where he contributed to establishing the French Committee” – as Sienkiewicz wrote in a letter to Antoni Osuchowski – “because we intended to form such committees in all countries.” He then travelled to the UK, and from there to the USA. Everywhere he went, Paderewski played concerts and gave speeches in favour of Poland’s independence. At that time, he did not visit Vevey, which gives rise to the question of how the portrait was made. In 1928 Kaufmann presented the pastel Étude pour portrait de M. Paderewski at his solo exhibition at Galerie Pleyel in Paris. Perhaps in January 1915, before Paderewski left Vevey to go on tour, the painter made a study from life, on which basis he then made the pastel image the following year.