When Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted Mlle Irene Cahen d'Anvers in 1880, he was working on commission for one of the wealthiest families in Paris—a fact that would later embroil the portrait in the tumults of European history. The sitter, Irène Cahen d’Anvers, was the daughter of Louis Cahen d’Anvers, a prominent banker. Renoir was paid handsomely for the portrait, but, according to some accounts, the family was less than pleased with the result and banished it to a less visible part of their home.

Decades later, the painting would become infamous for its fate during World War II, when it was looted by the Nazis and passed through several hands before resurfacing. Renoir captures Irène at the threshold between childhood and adolescence, her delicate features framed by a cascade of copper hair and a blue ribbon. She sits in a garden, the dappled light playing across her pale dress, which is rendered in Renoir’s signature feathery brushwork. The girl's gaze is both direct and distant, a mixture of innocence and self-possession that has intrigued viewers for generations.

The painter’s soft focus and luminous palette set this work apart from the more formal portraiture of earlier generations—compare, for instance, the restrained elegance of Winterhalter’s aristocratic sitters to Renoir’s more intimate, impressionistic approach. The blue hues and gentle light not only highlight Irène’s youth but also convey a sense of fleeting beauty, typical of the Impressionist movement. After its creation, Mlle Irene Cahen d'Anvers remained with the Cahen d’Anvers family until it was confiscated during the German occupation of France. It was then acquired by Hermann Göring, one of the most notorious art plunderers of the era, before eventually making its way into the collection of Emil Georg Bührle, a Swiss industrialist.

Today, the painting is housed in the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection in Zurich, a testament to both the enduring appeal of Renoir’s vision and the turbulent journey of art through the 20th century. This portrait stands as a significant example of Renoir’s portraiture at the height of the Impressionist movement, capturing both the personal story of its sitter and the broader currents of art and history.