# The Tragic History Behind Renoir’s Pink and Blue Portrait A new book chronicles the Cahen d'Anvers family's journey from Parisian elite to Holocaust victims. - **Source:** [Hyperallergic](https://hyperallergic.com) - **Published:** 2026-11-06 - **Topic:** [culture](https://brifing.si/c/culture) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/4921260a-5ac7-41cd-9844-1a9e375e0ef8 ## Renoir's Iconic Double Portrait In 1881, Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted Alice and Elisabeth Cahen d'Anvers, the young daughters of a wealthy Jewish banker. The resulting canvas, Pink and Blue, captures the girls in a luxurious Parisian salon. This work, alongside a portrait of their older sister Irene, serves as the central focus for Catherine Ostler’s book, The Renoir Girls. ## Life in the Gilded Age The Cahen d'Anvers family occupied a prominent position in the Belle Époque Parisian elite. Their home hosted writers like Marcel Proust and various members of the Catholic aristocracy. Despite their immense wealth and influence, the family navigated a society increasingly fractured by political instability, deep-seated inequality, and rising, insidious forms of antisemitism. ## The Shadow of Antisemitism Antisemitism permeated French society, even affecting Renoir himself, who complained about the family's payment. The Dreyfus Affair, spanning 1894 to 1906, polarized the nation and highlighted the vulnerability of the haute Juiverie. While the family belonged to the Dreyfusard camp, they remained targets of social resentment despite their efforts to assimilate into French culture. ## Paths Toward Assimilation The sisters pursued assimilation through marriage and religious conversion. Elisabeth converted to Catholicism in 1895, while Alice married a British colonel in an Anglican ceremony. Irene, the eldest, entered an arranged marriage with Moïse de Camondo. These choices reflected their deep desire to belong to the French establishment, yet these personal transformations offered no protection. ## Patriotism and Philanthropy The family demonstrated profound loyalty to France through significant philanthropic contributions and the restoration of historical properties. Irene’s son, Nissim de Camondo, even fought for France and died during World War I. They believed their dedication to the Enlightenment values would shield them, but their status as a Jewish family ultimately proved fatal. ## The Holocaust Catastrophe The family's glittering life collapsed during the Nazi occupation of France. Despite their efforts to hide, four family members perished in concentration camps. Elisabeth, who was elderly and infirm by 1944, was betrayed by a local mayor while in hiding and subsequently died while being transported to the Auschwitz extermination camp. ## Provenance of the Paintings The fate of the paintings mirrors the family's tragic history. Pink and Blue is currently housed at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo. La Petite Irène was looted by the Nazis, restituted after the war, and eventually purchased by Swiss arms dealer Emil Georg Bührle. It is now displayed at the Kunsthaus Zürich. ## Legacy of Devastation Ostler’s chronicle reveals how the sweetness of Renoir's brushwork belies a harrowing reality of persecution and betrayal. The story of the Cahen d'Anvers family serves as a poignant reminder of how quickly privilege can vanish. Their lives remain a testament to the dark chapters of European history that shattered their gilded world. ## Sources covering this story - https://hyperallergic.com/the-jewish-sisters-in-renoirs-pink-and-blue/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._