France Televisions - Renoir and the Girl with a Blue Ribbon (2019)

"Girl with the Blue Ribbon," a masterpiece painted by Auguste Renoir in 1880, was originally despised and then hidden. But now, it is unanimously recognized throughout the world.
Following Renoir's tormented trajectory, closely linked to that of his model, Irene Cahen d'Anvers, sheds new light on the artist and also delves into the darkest hours of France in the first half of the 20th century.
Even today, the exhibition of Renoir's "Little Girl with a Blue Ribbon" brings the past and its ghosts back to life. Auguste Renoir was, however, a great renown painter, part of our collective memory. What story lies behind this now world-acclaimed work?
Soon to be exhibited at the Kunsthaus in Zurich, the masterpiece is one of the key pieces in the Emile Buhrle Collection, an exceptional but highly controversial collection. What did "Little Girl with a Blue Ribbon" witness?
This documentary follows three parallel stories. First, that of the masterpiece, The Little Girl with the Blue Ribbon, this melancholic Renoir work with the "musical face" described by Henri Michaux. The painting was constantly tossed around, shelved by its patrons, looted by the Nazis, found by the Monument Men, recovered by the family, sold to a controversial collector, before finally arriving at the Kunsthaus Zurich.
We also discover the painter's biography, and the eventful life of his model, Irene Cahen d'Anvers. Born into the Jewish upper middle class, this free and divorced woman long disowned the painting and left it to her daughter, who was murdered at Auschwitz.
Discover the tumultuous journey of this painting, its model, Irene Cahen d'Anvers, and its connection to the dark hours of the Nazi regime.