Cézanne Portraits is the first exhibition devoted to the famed post-impressionist’s portraits. On view from March 25 through July 1, 2018, in the West Building, Main Floor, of the National Gallery of Art, 6th and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC.
Boy in a Red Waistcoat, by Paul Cézanne, 1880-1890, oil on canvas, 35¼ x 28½ inches, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art.
The exhibition explores the unconventional aspects of his portraiture, the role his portraits play in the development of his radical style and method, and the range and influence of his sitters. Rather than accepting commissions for portraits, Cézanne painted them as part of his ongoing experimentation as he searched for a pictorial language to capture his intense perceptions of the world.
Woman with a Coffee Maker (Cafetière), by Paul Cézanne, c. 1895, oil on canvas, 51¼ x 38 inches, Musée d’Orsay, Paris
He rarely painted people he did not know; instead he portrayed himself, his family, his friends, art-world admirers, and working-class inhabitants of his native Aix-en-Provence with whom he felt an affinity.
The exhibition brings together some 60 paintings drawn from collections around the world. They encompass his entire career and include portraits made in Paris, where he went to launch himself as an artist, and in Aix, which remained his anchor throughout his life and where he eventually settled permanently. Several paintings are exclusive to the National Gallery of Art’s presentation, while some works have never before been exhibited in the United States.
Madame Cézanne in a Yellow Chair, by Paul Cézanne, 1888-1890, oil on canvas, 31⅞ x 25⅝ inches, The Art Institute of Chicago.
Cézanne Portraits is curated by John Elderfield, chief curator emeritus of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, with Mary Morton, curator and head of the department of French paintings at the National Gallery of Art, and Xavier Rey, director of the Musées de Marseille. It has previously shown at the National Portrait Gallery in London and originally at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. This showing at the National Gallery of Art is the only chance to visit the exhibition in America and the end of its international tour.
Victor Chocquet, by Paul Cézanne, 1876-1877, oil on canvas, 18 x 14½ inches, Private Collection.
For more details on the life and career of Paul Cézanne, visit the artist page on the National Gallery of Art website.
Other online features include A Selection of Portraits from Cezanne’s Sketchbook. Most of Cézanne’s sketchbooks are no longer intact, as many were unbound long ago and the single sheets dispersed to collectors. The National Gallery of Art owns one of the few sketchbooks that remained intact. This selection of drawings of heads and faces, primarily those of his wife Hortense Fiquet and their son Paul, is from this very rare sketchbook.
The Artist’s Son Leaning on his Elbow, by Paul Cézanne, c. 1887, graphite on wove paper, 6 x 9⅜ inches, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art.
Cézanne Portraits is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalog with essays by John Elderfield, chief curator emeritus of painting and sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Mary Morton, curator and head of the department of French paintings at the National Gallery of Art; and Xavier Rey, director of the Musées de Marseille. Also included are a biographical essay on Cézanne’s sitters by Alex Danchev and a chronology of the artist’s life by Jayne S. Warman.
Curator Mary Morton introduces the pictorial and thematic characteristics of Cézanne’s portraits, the chronological development of his style and method, and the range and influence of his sitters in a 50 minute plus, highly engaging, audio presentation Introduction to the Exhibition-Cézanne Portraits found on the exhibition page under Audio and Video.
To plan your visit or explore the exhibition online, including a free audio tour, visit the exhibition page.
