Berthe Weill 1920

Émilie Charmy painted this portrait of Berthe Weill, a prominent Parisian art dealer, in oils on canvas. The image presents us with a figure whose significance lies in her institutional role. As a dealer, Weill championed avant-garde artists, many of whom were women, at a time when the art world was heavily dominated by men. Charmy herself benefited from Weill's support. The portrait, with its direct gaze and dark palette, presents Weill as a serious and determined figure, someone who defied the conventions of her time. Note the emphasis on her wristwatch, an attribute of modernity that suggests her active role in the business of art. To understand the painting more fully, we need to research the history of women in the arts, the emergence of modern art markets in France, and the biographies of both the artist and her subject. What we find is a picture of a network of women who worked to subvert the established order and create new opportunities for themselves and others. The meaning of this image is contingent on the social and institutional context in which it was made and circulated.