GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Two women sit in the shadowy interior of a bedroom and bend over their sewing, while a young boy and girl play on the tumbled fabric that covers the floor. This painting may be set in the spacious Paris apartment on the rue de Milan where Félix Vallotton had moved with his wife and daughter the previous year. By the turn of the 20th century, Vallotton had developed a more simplified style than the other Nabis painters, often juxtaposing flat areas of color against the broad fields of pattern that were a hallmark of the avant-garde group. This work specifically relates to paintings by other Nabis artists represented in the Dallas Museum of Art collection, particularly the intimate interior scenes by Edouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard.
The painting's strong contrast and theatrical lighting suggest the future direction of Vallotton's style while remaining true to the Nabis' exploration of everyday, domestic subjects in modern Parisian spaces. There is an intense play between luminescent expanses and dark, dramatic shadows. Sharp silhouettes and intense linear patterning contrast with subdued and thinly painted passages in the background. There is a rhyming and repetition of forms—the two women, one a dark profile in the foreground, the other a light-drenched visage in the background. Similarly, he creates a rhythmic poetry between the curvilinear elements of the chairs, between the carved foot- and head-boards of the bed, between the wooden framing of the window and what appears to be a glimpse of scaffolding outside.
Adapted from
- Heather MacDonald, DMA Label copy, October 2014.
- DMA Label copy, 2010.
- DMA unpublished material, 1996.
NOTES
Entered current label in TMS. Heather MacDonald, Label copy for "Small Worlds: Edouard Vuillard and the Intimate Art of the Nabis," Works on Paper Gallery, November 21, 2014- April 19, 2015
Gen Description Heather MacDonald, DMA Label copy for "Small Worlds: Edouard Vuillard and the Intimate Art of the Nabis,", October 2014.
Add former title to exhibition module-
Artist and Camera- as The Laundry Woman, The Blue Room
Felix Vallotton (1938)- as La Lingerie
Les Nabis (1900)- as Les Couseuses
Added published sources:
A. Humbert, LE GROUPE DES NABIS in ART DOCUMENTS, no. 31, April 1953, repr. p. 13
Added text entry related to provenance. The research document on TMS and in object file both contained a note that directly relates to the possibility of whether this work had been looted during WWII. I moved this information into a separate text note because it is for internal research purposes and not strictly provenance information.
Regarding the third line of provenance-- the date of 1940 comes from the acquisition proposal in the Collections Records Object File, but has not been verified elsewhere. If the work entered the Chamay collection in 1940, it is free from possible looting issues because Josse Bernheim-Jeune's collection was not confiscated until April 1941. Additionally, there is no Vallotton painting of this theme in the "catalogue of works looted from France during the war."
FROM CONFLUENCE 2016:
Félix Vallotton was a member of the Nabis, a group of young artists who explored everyday subjects in a flat and decorative style. Here, Vallotton captured an intimate, domestic moment in a setting that might be his own apartment in Paris. Two women are shown quietly sewing in the shadowy interior of a bedroom, while a boy and girl play atop a voluminous swath of fabric. The contrast between the painting’s solid patches of color and broad fields of pattern are hallmarks of the Nabi aesthetic. Nevertheless, the sense of mystery and intrigue produced by the featureless figures, empty foreground, and intense play between light and dark set Vallotton’s works apart from those of his fellow Nabis, such as Edouard Vuillard, Paul Sérusier, and Pierre Bonnard.
1900-1904: Bernheim-Jeune Galleries, Paris, purchased from the artist [1]
1904- At least 1938: Mr. B. Josse Bernheim-Jeune, likely purchased from the above [2]
1940-1993: Charley Chamay, Lausanne, and thence by descent [3]
From 1993: Galerie Vallotton, Lausanne [4]
Until 1996: Paul Z. and Ellen Josefowitz (art dealers), Chesham House, London
From 1996: Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, purchased from the above [5]
[1] Bernheim-Jeune Galleries sold the painting at the Hotel Drouot Sale, Paris, December 1, 1904, no. 16.
[2] Presumably, Josse Bernheim-Jeune purchased the painting at Hotel Drouot in December 1904 as lot number 16. Guy-Patrice Dauberville at Bernheim-Jeune states that the picture was part of Josse's personal collection and not part of the galerie's stock. Moreover, Josse Bernheim-Jeune lent the picture to the 1938 exhibition in Zurich. According to Thomas Rosemann at the Kunsthaus Zurich, the picture was not one of the works sold at the 1938 Vallotton exhibition. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the painting returned to Paris at the end of the 1938.
[3] The date of 1940 comes from the acquisition proposal in the Collections Records Object File, but has not been verified elsewhere. According to documentation in the file, the painting passed by descent once it entered the Chamay collection. Marina Ducrey, who is working on the Vallotton catalogue raisonné, stated that Chamay's wife had the work until 1993. For further information, see the Collection Records Digital Object File.
[4] According to Marina Ducrey.
[5] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation’s collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Paris (France): TGN: 7008038
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
women
sewing
children
sitting
bedroom
interior space
shadow
fabric
flat
rhythm
headboards
patterning
silhouette
foreground
background
chairs
window
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1996.48.FA
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General Description
Two women sit in the shadowy interior of a bedroom and bend over their sewing, while a young boy and girl play on the tumbled fabric that covers the floor. This painting may be set in the spacious Paris apartment on the rue de Milan where Félix Vallotton had moved with his wife and daughter the previous year. By the turn of the 20th century, Vallotton had developed a more simplified style than the other Nabis painters, often juxtaposing flat areas of color against the broad fields of pattern that were a hallmark of the avant-garde group. This work specifically relates to paintings by other Nabis artists represented in the Dallas Museum of Art collection, particularly the intimate interior scenes by Edouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard.
The painting's strong contrast and theatrical lighting suggest the future direction of Vallotton's style while remaining true to the Nabis' exploration of everyday, domestic subjects in modern Parisian spaces. There is an intense play between luminescent expanses and dark, dramatic shadows. Sharp silhouettes and intense linear patterning contrast with subdued and thinly painted passages in the background. There is a rhyming and repetition of forms—the two women, one a dark profile in the foreground, the other a light-drenched visage in the background. Similarly, he creates a rhythmic poetry between the curvilinear elements of the chairs, between the carved foot- and head-boards of the bed, between the wooden framing of the window and what appears to be a glimpse of scaffolding outside.
Adapted from
- Heather MacDonald, DMA Label copy, October 2014.
- DMA Label copy, 2010.
- DMA unpublished material, 1996.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
Entered current label in TMS. Heather MacDonald, Label copy for "Small Worlds: Edouard Vuillard and the Intimate Art of the Nabis," Works on Paper Gallery, November 21, 2014- April 19, 2015
Gen Description Heather MacDonald, DMA Label copy for "Small Worlds: Edouard Vuillard and the Intimate Art of the Nabis,", October 2014.
Add former title to exhibition module-
Artist and Camera- as The Laundry Woman, The Blue Room
Felix Vallotton (1938)- as La Lingerie
Les Nabis (1900)- as Les Couseuses
Added published sources:
A. Humbert, LE GROUPE DES NABIS in ART DOCUMENTS, no. 31, April 1953, repr. p. 13
Added text entry related to provenance. The research document on TMS and in object file both contained a note that directly relates to the possibility of whether this work had been looted during WWII. I moved this information into a separate text note because it is for internal research purposes and not strictly provenance information.
Regarding the third line of provenance-- the date of 1940 comes from the acquisition proposal in the Collections Records Object File, but has not been verified elsewhere. If the work entered the Chamay collection in 1940, it is free from possible looting issues because Josse Bernheim-Jeune's collection was not confiscated until April 1941. Additionally, there is no Vallotton painting of this theme in the "catalogue of works looted from France during the war."
FROM CONFLUENCE 2016:
Félix Vallotton was a member of the Nabis, a group of young artists who explored everyday subjects in a flat and decorative style. Here, Vallotton captured an intimate, domestic moment in a setting that might be his own apartment in Paris. Two women are shown quietly sewing in the shadowy interior of a bedroom, while a boy and girl play atop a voluminous swath of fabric. The contrast between the painting’s solid patches of color and broad fields of pattern are hallmarks of the Nabi aesthetic. Nevertheless, the sense of mystery and intrigue produced by the featureless figures, empty foreground, and intense play between light and dark set Vallotton’s works apart from those of his fellow Nabis, such as Edouard Vuillard, Paul Sérusier, and Pierre Bonnard.
1900-1904: Bernheim-Jeune Galleries, Paris, purchased from the artist [1]
1904- At least 1938: Mr. B. Josse Bernheim-Jeune, likely purchased from the above [2]
1940-1993: Charley Chamay, Lausanne, and thence by descent [3]
From 1993: Galerie Vallotton, Lausanne [4]
Until 1996: Paul Z. and Ellen Josefowitz (art dealers), Chesham House, London
From 1996: Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, purchased from the above [5]
[1] Bernheim-Jeune Galleries sold the painting at the Hotel Drouot Sale, Paris, December 1, 1904, no. 16.
[2] Presumably, Josse Bernheim-Jeune purchased the painting at Hotel Drouot in December 1904 as lot number 16. Guy-Patrice Dauberville at Bernheim-Jeune states that the picture was part of Josse's personal collection and not part of the galerie's stock. Moreover, Josse Bernheim-Jeune lent the picture to the 1938 exhibition in Zurich. According to Thomas Rosemann at the Kunsthaus Zurich, the picture was not one of the works sold at the 1938 Vallotton exhibition. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the painting returned to Paris at the end of the 1938.
[3] The date of 1940 comes from the acquisition proposal in the Collections Records Object File, but has not been verified elsewhere. According to documentation in the file, the painting passed by descent once it entered the Chamay collection. Marina Ducrey, who is working on the Vallotton catalogue raisonné, stated that Chamay's wife had the work until 1993. For further information, see the Collection Records Digital Object File.
[4] According to Marina Ducrey.
[5] The Foundation for the Arts is a non-profit corporation created as a title-holding entity to serve the people of Dallas but to operate independently of the City. The Dallas Museum of Art (at its own cost) is responsible for the care, storage, insurance, conservation and maintenance of the collection, and agrees to maintain the highest museum standards in the management and handling of the Foundation’s collection. The title to all works of art purchased or otherwise acquired by the Foundation for the Arts is retained by the Foundation.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Paris (France): TGN: 7008038
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
women
sewing
children
sitting
bedroom
interior space
shadow
fabric
flat
rhythm
headboards
patterning
silhouette
foreground
background
chairs
window
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
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1996.48.FA
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