01 Painting, Streets of Paris, Jean Beraud's Pont de Bercy, with footnotes, Part 86

Jean Beraud

Pont de Bercy

Oil on canvas

46.5 x 56 cm (18¹/₄ x 22 inches)

Private collection

Estimated for  £80,000 GBP - £120,000 GBP in November 2005

The Pont de Bercy is a bridge over the Seine in Paris. It links the 12th and 13th arrondissement of Paris by extending the Boulevard de Bercy and Boulevard Vincent-Auriol. In addition to the roadway, the bridge also carries Line 6 of the Paris Métro, between Quai de la Gare station and Bercy station.

The Pont de Bercy was built at the site of another bridge, a suspension bridge opened in 1832 to replace a ferry that had become overcrowded and thus exceeded its tonnage limit. 

In 1904, the bridge was enlarged by 5.5 metres to support Line 6 of the Paris Métro. In 1986, the decision was made to further enlarge the bridge in order to create three additional lanes for traffic. More on The Pont de Bercy 

Jean Béraud (January 12, 1849 – October 4, 1935) was a French painter renowned for his numerous paintings depicting the life of Paris, and the nightlife of Paris society. Pictures of the Champs Elysees, cafés, Montmartre and the banks of the Seine are precisely detailed illustrations of everyday Parisian life during the "Belle Époque". He also painted religious subjects in a contemporary setting.

Béraud became a student of Léon Bonnat, and exhibited his paintings at the Salon for the first time in 1872. However, he did not gain recognition until 1876, with his On the Way Back from the Funeral. He exhibited with the Society of French Watercolorists at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris.

Béraud's paintings often included truth-based humour and mockery of late 19th-century Parisian life, along with frequent appearances of biblical characters in then contemporary situations. Paintings such as Mary Magdalene in the House of the Pharisees aroused controversy when exhibited, because of these themes.

Towards the end of the 19th century, Béraud dedicated less time to his own painting but worked on numerous exhibition committees, including the Salon de la Société Nationale. Béraud never married and had no children. He died in Paris on October 4, 1935, and is buried in Montparnasse Cemetery beside his mother. More on Jean Béraud

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