The French Connection: Jules Pascin
Hermine David and Friend (Hermine David et amie), 1914 – Jules Pascin
Oil on canvas
72.4 × 60 cm (28.5 × 23.6 in.)
Auctioned at Sotheby’s, London, 2005

This canvas portrays Hermine David (1886–1970), painter, illustrator, and lifelong companion of Jules Pascin. The title suggests the presence of a second figure whose identity remains uncertain, adding a quiet intimacy to the work.

Born Julius Mordecai Pincas in Bulgaria, Pascin adopted the name Jules Pascin after arriving in Paris, where he became a central figure of the École de Paris, the cosmopolitan circle of émigré artists that included Chagall, Modigliani, Kisling, and Soutine. By the time she met Pascin in 1907, Hermine David had already achieved recognition as a painter and illustrator, one of the rare women admitted into this avant-garde.

When Pascin left for the United States in 1914, fleeing the outbreak of war, Hermine followed him within weeks. Their partnership was both artistic and personal: they exhibited in New York during the war years, and on September 25, 1918, they married. After five years in America, they returned to Paris in 1920, shortly after Pascin had become a naturalized U.S. citizen.

In Paris, Pascin lived the bohemian life of Montparnasse, earning the nickname “Prince of Montparnasse.” His delicate line and muted palette gave his portraits a fragile, lyrical quality, yet he struggled with self-doubt and the absence of a decisive breakthrough. Increasingly dependent on alcohol and plagued by depression, he took his own life on June 20, 1930, just before the opening of a major solo exhibition. His funeral at Montparnasse Cemetery drew hundreds of artists and writers, including Ernest Hemingway, a testament to his place in the cultural life of Paris.

Hermine David survived him by forty years. She continued to paint and illustrate, exhibiting at the Salon d’Automne and contributing to numerous publications. Her long career ensured that her own reputation endured alongside Pascin’s. She died in Bry-sur-Marne in 1970.

An intriguing chapter in Pascin’s life involves Lucy Krogh, the Norwegian painter and former wife of Per Krogh. Pascin and Lucy first met during a brief affair before her marriage in 1915, only to reconnect in 1921. For years thereafter, Pascin maintained relationships with both Hermine David and Lucy Krogh, a testament to the complex emotional bonds that surrounded him. Despite the unconventional arrangement, both women cared deeply for Pascin. After his death, Hermine David and Lucy Krogh jointly inherited his works, ensuring that his estate and legacy were preserved with dignity. Their friendship, forged through shared devotion, became a vital force in safeguarding his memory.