Bronze bust of a girl, presumed to be a portrait of Irma Sèthe

This bust of a young girl most likely represents the violinist Irma Sèthe, a student of Eugène Ysaÿe and a prominent figure in the Belgian avant-garde. The acquisition was made possible by the Raphaël and Françoise Haeven Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation. With this addition, the KBR Museum has been able to complete its collection of Sèthe's personal artefacts. The collection already includes her violin, photographs, and letters, documenting the life of this prodigy violinist who achieved international acclaim.

A unique and exceptional work

With no other model known to date, this bronze is similar to the full-length sculpture of Irma Sèthe (1876-1958) playing the violin, kept at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels. The large, full-length sculpture was exhibited at the 1989 Salon des Vingt by Paul Du Bois (1859-1938).
It is extremely likely that this bronze bust, of a girl with a rather serious and determined expression, is a portrait of Irma Sèthe (aged around twelve) and that the plaster bust exhibited by Paul Du Bois at the 1888 Salon, served as a model for the full-length sculpture made in 1889.
This signed and beautifully-crafted work bears the stamp of the founder, Jacques Petermann, who was reputed for the quality of his casts, including the bronzes he produced for Auguste Rodin.

The Sèthe sisters and Les Vingt

The value of this work lies principally in the identity of the young girl represented. Irma was the youngest of the three Sèthe sisters, who were born into a family of music lovers and patrons. Théo Van Rijsselberghe, the Neo-Impressionist painter and a member of Les Vingt, painted a pointillist portrait of each of the sisters. Alice, the eldest of the three, married sculptor Paul Du Bois, a founding member of Les Vingt and the creator of this bronze. Irma, a prodigy violinist and student of Eugène Ysaÿe, rapidly made a name for herself in Berlin, where she was known as a virtuoso violinist and excellent teacher. Maria was a pianist who trained in the decorative arts and married Belgian painter, architect and designer Henry Van de Velde, in whose work she would play an important role.

Irma Sèthe in the Music Department of the KBR

This bust of Irma Sèthe is now part of the KBR’s Music Department, which already had several works that had been acquired by patrons’ Funds managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, as well as works that the Foundation had received from generous donors, such as Eugène Ysaÿe’s autograph score for his Poème nocturne for violin, the archives of composer and conductor Albert Dupuis and the Arthur Grumiaux Fund.

The Raphaël and Françoise Haeven Fund

The Raphaël and Françoise Haeven Fund has as its mission the conservation, restoration and promotion of Belgian historic heritage.