Lot 113: Portrait of Hugo van Manen

Wim Schuhmacher (1894-1986) Portrait of Hugo van Manen signed 'W. Schuhmacher.' (lower left) oil on canvas 100.5 x 86 cm. Painted in 1938

100.5 x 86 cm.

Hugo van Manen, Utrecht. By descent from the above to the present owners.

Hugo van Manen was the director of the Dutch Railways from 1920 until 1938. When Van Manen left in 1938, his portrait by Schuhmacher, was offered to the Dutch Railways, now part of the Spoorweg Museum Collection in Utrecht. Another version, the present lot, was made for the family. The working process of Schuhmacher was very precise and because of this, posing took a long time. Van Manen complained about this to his son: '...Het is nog elken morgen poseeren. Mijn schilder is wat hij noemt minutieus, maar hij doet er wel buitengewoon lang over. Zoo hebben wij nu al twee ochtenden over het voorhoofd gedaan en klaar is het nog niet.' (see: Jan van Geest, Wim Schuhmacher: De Meester van het Grijs, Spanbroek, p. 135).