Édouard Vuillard

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Description

Édouard Vuillard
MISIA ASSISE DANS UNE BERGÈRE, DIT NONCHALOIR
stamped E. Vuillard (lower right)
oil on canvas
44 by 43.2cm., 17 1/4 by 17in.

Provenance

Arthur Tooth & Sons, London
Acquired from the above by the family of the present owner in the 1950s

Exhibited

London, Arthur Tooth & Sons, E. Vuillard 1868-1940, no. 20, illustrated in the catalogue

Literature

Patricia Ciaffa, The Portraits of Édouard Vuillard, Ann Arbor, 1985, fig. 189, illustrated p. 336
Antoine Salomon & Guy Cogeval, Vuillard, Le Regard innombrable, Catalogue critique des peintures et pastels, Paris, 2003, vol. II, no. VIII-27, illustrated in colour p. 843

Catalogue Note

During Vuillard’s stay in Cannes in 1901 he painted Misia Natanson on numerous occasions. She was the wife of his best friend and supporter Thadée Natanson. The Natansons’ apartment at 9 rue Saint Florentin was a magnet for artists, writers and journalists. Shortly after their marriage in 1893 they commissioned Vuillard to paint a large decorative panel for their apartment. ‘For Vuillard, who lived nearby on the rue Saint-Honoré, their marriage was a particularly propitious union. His friendship and collaboration with the Natanson ménage resulted in some of his most significant works and would last until their divorce in 1904…’ (G. Groom, Edouard Vuillard, Painter-Decorator, Patrons and Projects, 1892-1912, New Haven, 1993, p. 44).

Misia Natanson née Godebeska was well read, musically talented and vivacious. Alongside her husband, Misia played an important role in the Parisian artistic circles at the turn of the century, as a muse and patron of artists as well as writers and composers. She was particularly close to the group of Nabis artists and was portrayed by painters such as Bonnard, Vallotton, Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec. Her vibrant character certainly left a strong impression on Vuillard, and is reflected in the bright luminous sun drenched palette with which he chose to depict her in the present work.

FIG. I Misia Natanson in a rattan chair at La Croix des Gardes, Cannes, image number: 190D06005