Meta-Impressionism: Art-collectors
Eugène Murer
=Hyacinthe Eugène Meunier
(1841-1906)
an early supportor of the impressionists
Introduction:
This page renders short information on Eugène Murer, the loans to the ‘impressionist’ expositions, his art-collection and the auction sale of his collection.
The emphasize is on the works of the partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions.
Note: additional info and pictures will be added.
Eugène Murer, biography (1841-1906):
Eugène Murer was born as Hyacinthe Eugène Meunier in Poitiers in 1841*.
Murer was pastry baker, an art collector and a writer. Since the mid 1880s he also was a painter. In 1895 there had been a solo exhibition in Paris.
He had married around 1868. His wife died soon after giving birth to their son Paul.
Guillaumin was his class mate in Moulins. In 1872 they met again in Paris.
In 1881 Murer moved to Auvers-sur-Oise. 1906/04/22 he died in Auvers-sur-Oise.
Marie-Thérèse Meunier was a (half-)sister of him (R218XIX), in the many letters to Murer several writers bring the best regards to her. She married in 1897 Gérome Doucet (born 1865), a writer and a poet (R218,no84). This caused friction with Eugène.
He, his sister and his son Paul were portrayed by Renoir (1F290-293) and Pissarro (V1537+1538).
Note*: other sources render as birth year 1845 and 1846 and as birthtown Moulins.
His restaurant was a meeting place for the impressionists:
1870 onwards Eugène Murer owned a pastry shop and backery at 85, Boulevard Voltaire, Paris*.
On Wednesday evenings Murer offered dinners to Guillaumin, Renoir, Sisley, Monet, Pissarro, Cézanne and later also Cordey, Franc-Lamy.
Note*: or no.95 (R116,no582;R5,p101); or it opened 1877/11 (R5,p101).
Murer as an organiser:
Thursday 1877/11/08 at a lunch in his restaurant, there was a lottery held to help his friends. His half-sister spent much time in organising it. The first price was a Pissarro. Present were Guillaumin, Pissarro, Sisley and Dr. Gachet (R116I,p156 +no.468+582).
In 1878 Murer was co-organizer of an International exhibition.
1879*/11 he organized a lottery with a Pissarro painting as first prize.
Note*: maybe a writing error for 1877.
Murer as a supportor of the impressionists:
Murer was an early supporter of the impressionists. He supported them morally, financially, offered them dinners and bought their works.
Murer lended Guillaumin money and bought several works of him;
Murer also did lent money to Pissarro (R312,p28).
But, later Murer is more seen as a beneficiary.
June 1880 Murer demanded Sisley to pay back the 1200 franc he borrowed him the last 3 years.
Around 1893 Pissarro saw him as someone who had taken advantage of his misfortunes.
1897/01/29 Pissarro wrote to Murer to send back a painting (CCP468↑ or 525): ’that’s my repeated request over the last fifteen or so years’ (R116,no468).
Murer, lender to the ‘impressionist’ expositions:
In 1879 he did lend 7 works to the 4th ‘impressionist’ exhibition; 1 of Monet (no.162) and 6 by Pissarro (no.174-177+187+203).
Murer and other exhibited works:
Some works exhibited at the ‘impressionist’ expositions later were in the possession of Murer.
3IE-1877-190↓ of Renoir; 4IE-1879-175↓ +176↓ +187↑ of Pissarro.
Murer, auction sale:
At an auction of his collection 1884/06 several works of Guillaumin were included (R5,p140).
Murer, hotel owner in Rouen:
Murer owned in the 1880s two hotels in Rouen: l’Hôtel du Dauphin and Hôtel d’Espagne (R218,no78/72). In 1883 Camille Pissarro stayed at a hotel owned by Murer in Rouen; in August Lucien Pissarro visited his father there (R312,p38). September 1887 Renoir visits him there.
Shortly after 1897 he had to liquidate them.
Murer as a collector; the 1887 inventory:
Murer bought works of Monet (R22,CR415).
In 1887 Paul Alexis made an inventory of the collection of Murer. It was published in Le Cri du Peuple (1887/10/21) using his pseudonym Trublot in an article titled ‘À minuit. La collection Murer’. It counted 122 works, including 28 works of Sisley (59-86), 25 of Pissarro (no.9-33), 22 of Guillaumin (no.87-108), 15 of Renoir (no.34-48), 10 of Monet (no.49-58), 8 of Cézanne (no.1-8), 4 of Vignon (109-112), 2 of Dr. Paul Gachet (=van Ryssel) (no.113+114), 4 drawings and watercolours of Delacroix (115-118) and 4 drawings of Constantin Guys.
It included of Cézanne: FWN739 (=V212) +630 (=V240) +713-TA (=V60) +110 (V177) +? +621-TA (=V248) +740 (=V210) +738 (=V214↓) (FWN=iR194; V=R189).
of Pissarro: CCP507 +389 +381 +536 +516 +442 +294 +468or525 +480 +535 +510or513); +PV1537 +1538; (R116)
of Renoir: 1F317 +238 +240 +273 +? +220 +73 +290 +?291 +138 +264 +? +292 +? +318 (R193).
It included of Monet: CR56 +338 +?415 (R22)
Sources: aR1+2+3; iR483; R22,CR338; R179,p24+42;
Murer, exposition ‘Magnifique collection d’impressionnistes:
Paul Gachet jr. mentions an opening 1896/05/15 of an exhibition of the collection of Murer in his Hôtel du Dauphin et de l’Espagne called “Magnifique collection d’impressionnistes”* (R362,p164). Most of the works auctioned were bought by Dr. Viau.
It included 30 works of Renoir, including 1CR117=1F138↑=M20;
Maybe it included 2CR98=W80 of Gauguin.
It included the following works of Monet: CR304 +338 +?415 (R22*).
Note*: According to Wildenstein an exhibition with the same title was held 1884/07. In the represented collection were works of Monet (3x) (R22IV,p1016) and Gauguin (R181,no98). But As Trublot in his 1887/10/21 article doesn’t refer to an exhibition 1884/07 I assume the notion of Paul Gachet jr. is more accurate. The CCP on Pissarro doesn’t refer to this exposition (R116I,p362-4).
Sources: R362,p164+177;R31,p28/note40+316; iR483; M20; aR2; aR3;
Murer, overview collection:
Murer once owned (probably) the following paintings:
of Cézanne: FWN(=iR198) no. 110 +621 +630 +667? +713 +739 +740 (iR483).
of Monet: CR304 +338 +? 415 +496 (R22IV,p1052).
of Pissarro: CCP381 (1878/06) +389 +442↑↑ +468↑↑ +480 +507↑↑ +513 +516 +525 +528 +535↑↑ +536 +578↑↑ +582↑↑ (R116III,p946).
of Renoir: Fezzi (1972) no. 73! +138↑↑ +220! +240↓ +264↓ +273 +317 +318?? (iR483;R30=R193); Daulte (1971=R108) 1CR84↓ +117↑↑ +188↓ +246 +247 +248 +249 (R31,p22).
of Sisley: CCPP354 (R396,p521).
Sources:
The following Catalogues Raisonnés (or extended catalogues):
of Caillebotte by Berhaut (1978 =1CR=R101); by Berhaut (1994 =2CR=R102)
of Cézanne by Pissarro & Venturi (1936 =PV=R189); by Rewald, Feilchenfeldt & Warman (1996; =RFW=R118); Feilchenfeldt, Warman & Nash (online: cezannecatalogue; =FWN=iR194)
Gauguin by Wildenstein (1964 =W=1CR=R128); Crussard (2002 =2CR=R181)
Guillaumin by Serret & Fabiani (1971 =CR=SF=R124);
of Monet by Wildenstein (1996 =CR=R22=R127)
of Morisot by Bataille (1960 =1CR=R100); Clairet, Rouart & Montlant (1997 =2CR=CRM=R186)
of Pissarro by Venturi (1939 =V=R126); by Pissarro and Durand-Ruel (2005 =CCP =R116)
of Renoir by Daulte (1971 =1CR=R108); by Fezzi (1968 =1F=R193=R30); by Fezzi (1985 =2F=R190); by Dauberville (2007-14 =2CR=2D=R185)
of Signac by Cachin (2000 =CR=R106)
of Sisley by Daulte (1959 =CR=R129); by Brame & Lorenceau (2021 =CCPP=R396)
Additional sources:
R1,p413/4; R8,p219; R7,143; R179,p21; R3,p684+149+241; R5,p117; R2,p244; R31,p22+28/note40 +p307; R90II,p292/3; R312,p28+70; R116,CCP582; iR4.
For further reading:
Anne Distel, Les collectionneurs des impressionnistes, Paris 1989, pp. 207-15.
Paul Gachet jr.: Le docteur Gachet et Murer; deux amis des Impressionnistes. Paris, 1956 (=R362; see aR4).
Additional references: (=aR)
- iR40//bpt6k4682223r (article of Trublot (=Paul Alexis) 1887/10/21 in Le Cri du people; =iR40)
- iR483/2019/10/04 (first article article on the collection of Murer at publicationscalamar, including the article of Trublot; =iR483)
- iR483/2019/10/11 (second article article on the collection of Murer at publicationscalamar; =iR483)
- iR40,bpt6k3380754g (online extracts from Gachet, 1956; =iR40 =R362)
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Recommanded citation: “Meta-Impressionism, art-collectors: Eugène Murer, an early supporter of the impressionists. Last modified 2026/05/13. https://www.impressionism.nl/eugene-murer/”
Note: additional info and pictures will be added.