Netter, an Alsatian, loved art and painting and was an influential collector. He could not afford the great Impressionists, so he became interested in less known artists. After discovering a painting by Modigliani, the Italian artist who worked mainly in France and became known for paintings and sculptures characterized by mask-like faces and elongated forms, he started buying all the works by Modigliani he found. Netter also noticed Soutine and discovered Utrillo and started buying them as well. The exhibition included works by Modigliani, Soutine, Utrillo, Valadon, Kisling, etc., and as much as possible recreated Jonas Netter’s collection as it was in his time.
By pure coincidence, Jocelyn, another cousin from Mexico, was also in Paris, so we all met up for lunch at Triadou Haussman, a favorite of ours on Boulevard Haussmann between the Grands Magasins and the Madeleine.
Not far from there, also on Boulevard Haussmann, is the Square Louis XVI, a tiny park that sits on the grounds of the former Madeleine Cemetery, where King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were buried after they had been guillotined. It is the only public place in Paris named after Louis XVI. In the square is the Chapelle Expiatoire (Expiatory Chapel), dedicated to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, although they are formally buried in the Basilica of Saint Denis.
