From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Self-Portrait with Palette (Manet)
Self-Portrait with Palette (Manet)
Self-Portrait with Palette vardier in front of a dark background. The depicted
French: Autoportrait à la palette wears a black top hat and a brown jacket, under which is
a white shirt, of which only the collar can be seen. The
neckline of the suit jacket covers a black silk tie, which is
affixed by a tie pin.[1] In the right, only vaguely depict-
ed hand he holds a long wooden brush with red paint on
the tip; the left hand holds a painting palette with about
three more brushes. No further accessories are shown.
The figure is lit from the left, by which the shadows be-
neath the left arm and the right half of the face are cre-
ated. His pose is slightly turned to the right, so that the
right half of the body is darker than the forward, left half.
The painter’s gaze is directed forwards, at the viewer.
Because Manet was almost certainly not left-handed,
the painting is a mirror image.
Origin and meaning
Artist Édouard Manet
Year 1878/1879 (1878/1879)
Type Oil on canvas
Dimensions 83 cm × 67 cm (33 in × 26 in)
Location Greenwich, Connecticut
Owner Steven A. Cohen
Self-Portrait with Palette (French: Autoportrait à la palette is
palette)
an 1878–79 painting by the French artist Édouard Manet.
This late, impressionistic work is one of his two self-por-
traits. Velasquez’s self-portrait in Las Meninas was a par-
ticular inspiration for Manet’s painting, which despite its
allusion to the previous artist’s work is very modern in
its focus upon the personality of the artist and loose paint
handling.
A long series of prominent collectors have owned this
painting, which was sold for a $29.48 million at Sotheby’s
Self-portrait by Diego Velázquez – detail of Las Meninas, 1656
on 22 June 2010.
As has been established by X-ray analysis, Manet painted
Description his Self-Portrait with Palette over a portrait in profile of his
wife Suzanne Manet. In this picture she was depicted in
The 83 × 67 cm (33 × 26 in) painting shows a half-length
a pose similar to that in the painting Madame Manet at the
portrait of the painter Édouard Manet. In this self-por-
Piano (1868, Musée d’Orsay).
trait as painter he depicted himself as a stylish Boule-
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Self-Portrait with Palette (Manet)
garb that would be appropriate for a courtier. In 1870
Manet had sat for the painter Henri Fantin-Latour in the
painting Un atelier aux Batignolles while similarly well-
dressed. His wearing of a hat indoors also has a direct
precedent. Renoir had depicted Monet in 1875, with suit,
hat and all. Just as Velazquez had used his clothes to
underscore his proximity to the Spanish court, Manet’s
clothing shows his role as a stylish and successful
Parisian artist,[1] "who not only in his artistic posture,
but also in his appearance is quintessentially the painter
of modern life, of Baudelaire’s description."[3]
The unfinished right hand with the paintbrush is con-
spicuous in the painting. Victor Stoichiţă perceives this
as Manet’s intention and interprets it thusly: "because it
is an act of painting that is depicted here, it turns paint-
ing around itself like a whirlwind"[4] Françoise Cachin
explains it as a way of concentrating the light and the at-
tention of the viewer upon the more important aspects
of the painting.[5] Manet’s wife Suzanne, however, de-
scribed this painting and the Self-Portrait with Cap
(1878–79) as sketches.[6]
Position in the Oeuvre
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Portrait of Claude Monet, 1875
The dating of the painting goes back to Manet’s friend
Théodore Duret, who asked Léon Leenhof, the son of
Manet’s wife, about it after the painter’s death.[2] More-
over, Manet had used the same suit jacket that he wore in
Self-Portrait with Palette in the painting At "Père Lathuille"
(also from 1879), for the depiction of the son of the
restaurant’s owner.
Las Meninas, in which Diego Velázquez depicted him-
self in a similar pose with brush and palette, is considered
an important precedent for the Self-Portrait with Palette.
There the painter stands almost in the background of
his studio, while his models, the five-year-old Margarita
Teresa of Spain and her servants, occupy the foreground.
From here Manet appropriated the pose of the painter
and his equipment, but as opposed to Velázquez, he
makes himself the thematic center of the image. At the
same time, however, he is working on a painting, but
leaves its subject matter, as well as his surroundings, to
the imagination of the viewer. Manet himself between
1865 and 1870 portrayed Velazquez in a studio scene in
which the Spanish painter is posed similarly to his self-
portrait.
As a practical matter painters did not and do not wear
formal dress while working, as it could far too easily be Self- Portrait with Cap (1878/79), Bridgestone Museum of Art,
ruined by oil paint. Manet’s depiction of himself as a Tokyo
painter in stylish city-going clothes has various prece-
dents. Already Velazquez had shown himself in costly
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Self-Portrait with Palette (Manet)
The Self-Portrait with Palette is the only self-portrait by The nephew of the artist, Edouard Vibert (1867–1899)
Manet in which he depicted himself as an artist. He de- finished shortly before his death a series of copies of var-
picted himself in several other paintings, but almost al- ious Manet paintings for Madame Manet as mementos of
ways as one of many figures in a large composition. These the paintings that had had to be sold after the death of
works include Fishing (1860/61), Music in the Tuileries the artist. Around the turn of the 20th century a copy of
(1862), and The Ball of the Opera (1873). the Self-Portrait with Palette was attested that was ascribed
The full-length Self-Portrait with Cap (1878–79) is the to Vibert.[6]
only other pure self-portrait by Manet. The chronologi-
cal proximity of the two paintings implies a direct con-
nection between them; accordingly, they have been con-
Provenance
sidered as two stages of a work in progress. In the first
painting, Self-Portrait with Palette, the act of painting itself
is depicted by the blurred gestures of the painter. In the
latter work, the painter is shown with the clear detach-
ment of a viewer, rather than a creator. To Éric Darragon
it appears that the painter has "stepped back, to evaluate
his painting."[7]
After Manet’s death the two pictures hung on either
side of the 1877 painting Jean-Baptiste Faure in the Role of
Hamlet. From this arrangement Stoichiţă concludes that
the choice of this Spanish influenced painting was meant
to evoke a renewed parallel to Velazquez. Another mes-
sage derived from the juxtaposition is that the self-por-
traits could almost be read as Manet in the Role of Manet.[4]
Juliet Wilson-Bareau, however, points out that Manet
probably did not intend the pictures to be so displayed,
as it was Léon Leenhoff who had the pictures framed and
hung them on either side of the Faure portrait.[2]
Reception
The painting was often considered to be of lesser artistic
value than Manet’s other works. In 1926 the critic Éti-
enne Moreau-Nélaton wrote: "This work, like the other
efforts of the artist, are spoiled by a certain coldness.
The artist’s hand moves with too much fire, painting so
freely here, that it is impossible for the painter to seri-
ously focus upon himself as an object."[8] On the other
hand, Theodore Reff in 1982 emphasized the meaning of
Manet’s decision to approach self-portraiture, which he
had never before attempted, at the high point of his ca-
reer.[6] The chosen clothes, in both case stylish suits, give
the impression that Manet considered himself not only
a successful artist but a successful figure in society: the
paintings are a record of this success. Edvard Munch (1909), Professor Daniel Jacobson, oil on canvas.
Wilson-Bareau proposes an alternate explanation for 204 × 111.5 cm. Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway
the origin of the self-portraits. When the art historian
and Manet biographer Adolphe Tabarant asked Manet’s The Self-Portrait with Palette was not sold during Manet’s
stepson Léon Leenhoff about the point in time at which lifetime and after his death was held by his widow. Nor
Manet had been stricken with Syphilis, Leenhoff gave were either of the self-portraits sold in the 1884 estate
1879 as an answer, which would explain why Manet, who sale. Manet’s widow does not appear to have wanted to
had never before in his life painted a self-portrait, had sell them until 1897, as Antonin Proust in a letter from
painted two within that year. It would seem that with the May 10 of that year stated that neither Jean-Baptiste Fau-
reality of death right before his eyes, he felt a need to re nor Auguste Pellerin were interested in the paintings.
come to terms with himself.[2] On 2 February 1899, Suzanne Manet bequeathed the
pictures to her sister Martina Leenhoff, probably with
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Self-Portrait with Palette (Manet)
the intention of aiding her during financial difficulties.
That year, Madame Manet and Proust renewed their ef-
forts to sell the paintings. This time the art dealers Her-
mann Paechter and Ambroise Vollard expressed interest.
Later that year Paechter obtained the paintings at the
price of 6,000 Francs for the Self-Portrait with Cap and
only 1,000 for Self-Portrait with Palette. In Théodore Duret’s
1902 exhibit catalog the picture is listed as the property
of Pellerin.
Shortly after, the Self-Portrait with Cap went to the col-
lection of Max Linde in Lübeck. In addition to being an
art collector Linde was also an ophthalmologist, with Ed-
vard Munch among his patients. Eventually the Norwegi-
an artist was inspired by the Manet to paint various other
full length portraits, including a 1909 portrait of his psy-
chiatrist Daniel Jacobson, which came close to the Manet
in style and feeling.[9]
In May 1910, the Self-Portrait with Palette appeared in
an exhibit at the gallery of Georges Petit in Paris, where it
was labeled as on loan from the widow of the Marquis Eti-
enne de Ganay. Just a month later it was shown in an ex-
hibit by the gallery owners Paul Durand-Ruel, Bernheim-
Jeune and Paul Cassirer together with all other Manet
• Music in the Tuileries, 1862
paintings that had previously been owned by Pellerin.
Pellerin had sold his collection to the dealers, with the
exception of the Self-Portrait with Palette, which he had
sold to Madame de Ganay immediately beforehand.
Ganay owned the painting through the 1920s; by 1931 it
was in the collection of the Berlin bank president Jakob
Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt immigrated to New York City
in 1936, taking his collection with him, and died there in
1955. In 1958 the painting was bought by J. Summers for
65,000.[10]
Later the collector couple John and Frances L. Loeb
from New York acquired the painting for $176,800.[11]
At the auction of the Loeb collection on 12 May 1997
the painting was sold for $18.7 million to an anonymous
bidder.[12] At that time it was the second highest price • The Ball of the Opera, 1873
ever paid for a work by Manet. Shortly thereafter the • Jean-Baptiste Faure in the Role of Hamlet, 1877
new owner was revealed to be the Casino developer Steve
Wynn, as he displayed the picture in his hotel in the Ho-
tel Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas.[2] In March 2005, it was
privately sold to Steven A. Cohen.[13] The price is esti-
mated to have been between $35 million to $40 milli-
on.[14]
On 7 May 2010, it was announced that Cohen had de-
cided to auction the painting at Sotheby’s on 22 June
2010. The price was expected to be between $30.1 and
$45.2 million.[14] These expectations were not met, how-
ever, and the painting sold for £22,441,250[15] ($29.48 mil-
lion)[16] to the New York collector Franck Giraud.[17] The
price was nevertheless a record for a Manet painting. [17]
Gallery • Fishing (Detail), Manet together with later wife
Suzanne
• Fishing, 1860/61
4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Self-Portrait with Palette (Manet)
• Music in the Tuileries (Detail)
• The Ball of the Opera (Detail), Manet is the man with
the blond beard
• At Pere Lathuille, 1879, uses the same suit jacket
• Édouard Manet: Velasquez in his Studio, 1865–1870 [3] quoted in Hajo Düchting: Manet Pariser Leben
• Henri Fantin-Latour: Hommage à Delacroix, 1864 München, New York 1985; ISBN 3-7913-1445-9 zu
• Henri Fantin-Latour: Portrait d’Edouard Manet, 1867 Selbstporträt mit Palette, P. 93
• Henri Fantin-Latour: Un atelier aux Batignolles, 1870 [4] ^ Stoichiţă 2005.
[5] Françoise Cachin: Manet, The Influence of the Modern.
Citations New York 1995; ISBN 0-8109-2892-2 zu
Selbstporträt mit Palette, P. 109
[1] ^ Theodor Reff: Manet and modern Paris, P. 30. [6] ^ After Moffet 1984.
[2] ^ Juliet Wilson-Bareau in Gary Tinterow, Geneviève [7] Darragon: Manet, Paris 1989. Quoted in Stoichiţă
Lacambre: Manet/Velázquez, p. 502. 2005.
5
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Self-Portrait with Palette (Manet)
[11] New York Times, July 5, 1998
[12] David Ebony in Art in America, July 1997.
[13] New York Times, March 3, 2005.
[14] ^ Vogel, Carol. "Manet Self-Portrait: New Star on
the Block". New York Times, 7 March 2010
[15] Manet self portrait fetches record £22m at London sale.
BBC News, 23 June 2010.
[16] Vogel, Carol. A Lackluster Art Auction in London. New
York Times. 22 June 2010.
[17] ^ Hough, Andrew. Rare Edouard Manet self portrait
sold for record £22million at Sothebys auction. The
Telegraph. 22 June 2010
[8] Étienne Moreau-Nélaton: Manet raconté par lui-
même. Vol. II, Paris 1926, P. 50–51. Translated in
Moffet 1984. References
[9] Mikael Wivel: Ausstellungskatalog Kopenhagen 1989: • Charles S. Moffet: Selbstporträt mit Palette. In: Manet
Manet. Charlottenlund 1989; ISBN 87-88692-04-3 1832–1883. Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris, The
[10] Provenance in this section after Moffet 1984.
6
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Self-Portrait with Palette (Manet)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Frölich & zur Gegenwart. Philipp Reclam jun., Stuttgart 2005,
Kaufmann, Berlin 1984, ISBN 3-88725-092-3. ISBN 3-15-010571-4.
• Theodor Reff: Manet and modern Paris. National • Gary Tinterow, Geneviève Lacambre: Manet/
Gallery of Art, Washington und University of Chicago Velázquez: The French Taste for Spanish Painting.
Press, Chicago und London 1982, ISBN 0-226-70720-2. Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris, The
• Victor Ieronim Stoichiţă: Eduard Manet: Selbstporträt, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Yale
1879. In: Ulrich Pfisterer, Valeska von Rosen: Der University Press, New Haven und London 2003, ISBN
Künstler als Kunstwerk. Selbstporträts vom Mittelalter bis 1-58839-038-1.
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Categories:
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