The Metropolitan Museum of Art has recently acquired a painting with a fascinating history. This 19th-century family portrait, which depicts an enslaved person, had a hidden secret—the fourth figure had been painted out. The acquisition of this painting by the Met sheds light on the erasure of Black figures in American history. Without the efforts of art collector Jeremy K. Simien, it may have been lost forever.
Simien first came across the painting in an auction record and noticed its resemblance to the work of renowned artist Jacques Amans. He later found another auction record where the enslaved child had been covered up. This piqued his curiosity, and he was determined to find out what had happened to the figure.
The story begins with Eugene Grasser, a relative of the white children in the painting. According to family lore, there was a favorite slave who was included in the original painting but later painted out for unknown reasons. Eugene’s mother, Audrey, inherited the portrait and kept it in the garage for many years. In 1972, she donated it to the New Orleans Museum of Art, along with the family’s story of the hidden figure. Unfortunately, the museum chose to store the painting instead of displaying it, a decision that Mia L. Bagneris, an art history professor, describes as institutional neglect.
In 2004, the New Orleans Museum of Art decided to sell the painting at auction, and it was purchased by an antiques dealer for $6,000. Through restoration, the missing figure was finally revealed. After years of searching, Jeremy acquired the painting in 2021. One of his first steps was to have it carefully restored by a painting conservator named Craig Crawford.
To uncover the identity of the enslaved child in the portrait, Jeremy enlisted the help of Katy Shannon, an expert in locating lost historical figures. Katy traced the Grasser family lineage and discovered that Bélizaire, a mixed-race domestic servant, was the most likely candidate for the boy in the painting. She further delved into Louisiana property records and found evidence of Bélizaire’s sale at the age of six, bringing him into the Frey household.
The painting captures a deceptive image of domestic tranquility, considering the truth of Bélizaire’s circumstances. While seemingly valued as part of the family, he could be sold at any time. After Frederick Frey’s death, Coralie sold Bélizaire to Evergreen Plantation, and at some point, an unknown person painted over his image. By analyzing the craquelure patterns in the painting, Craig determined that the cover-up likely occurred around the turn of the century, a period marked by the implementation of Jim Crow laws.
Although the fate of Bélizaire after his time at Evergreen is unknown, the discovery of his name and his journey is remarkable. Jeremy’s plan is to find a permanent home for the painting where it can be seen and appreciated.
In the spring of 2023, a dealer representing Jeremy approached a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the painting and its accompanying research. The curator, captivated by the story and recognizing the rarity of such depictions of enslaved people, facilitated the museum’s acquisition of the painting for its permanent collection.
This acquisition highlights the need for museums to reevaluate their collections, including pieces that have been neglected or overlooked. Many treasures may still be hidden away in storage, waiting to be discovered and shared with the world.
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