Two Women Drinking Coffee

c. 1893

Edouard Vuillard

Associated Names
Edouard Vuillard

Artist, French, 1868 - 1940

This painting displays soft, rounded shapes and fragmented lines, creating an abstract portrayal of two people seated at a dark yellow table. The round table is in the center, while the two people are on the left, their faces and bodies suggested with small dots of tan and light brown paint. The rough, brown surface under the paint has been allowed to show through in many places. On the table, white circular shapes resemble a cup and saucer, as well as a plate and bowl. The right side of the table has a light brown cloth draped over it, decorated with bright splashes. Behind the table and the people is a greenish-blue wall with a white door in the upper right corner.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
On View

East Building Ground Level, Gallery 103

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on cardboard

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 21.5 x 28.8 cm (8 7/16 x 11 5/16 in.)
    framed: 37.7 x 45.4 x 5.3 cm (14 13/16 x 17 7/8 x 2 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1970.17.94

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Prince Emmanuel Bibesco; Prince Antoine Bibesco [1878-1951], Paris, London, Leningrad and Strehaia, Romania.[1] Acquired between 1952-1955 by Capt. Edward H. Molyneux [1891-1974], Paris;[2] sold 15 August 1955 to Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969], New York;[3] bequest 1970 to NGA.
[1]See letter dated 22 September 1999 from Guy Cogeval, in NGA curatorial files. [2]See letter from Molyneux to Bruce dated 30 July 1955 in Gallery Archives RG39, copy in NGA curatorial records.[3]Provenance according to NGA curatorial records and the Ailsa Mellon Bruce notebook now in NGA archives.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1958

  • Paintings from the Collection of Mrs. Mellon Bruce, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, 1958, no. 47

1961

  • French Paintings of the Nineteenth Century from the Collection of Mrs. Mellon Bruce, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1961, no. 68, repro

1966

  • French Paintings from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and Mrs. Mellon Bruce, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1966, no. 180, repro

1989

  • The Intimate Interiors of Edouard Vuillard, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Phillips Collection, Washington; The Brooklyn Museum, 1989-1990, no. 61, repro.

2013

  • Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art, Museo dell'Ara Pacis Augustae, Rome (exhibition title in this venue: Impressionist Gems); California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; McNay Art Museum, San Antonio; Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo, Seattle Art Museum, 2013-2016, pl. 59.

Bibliography

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 372, repro.

1978

  • Small French Paintings from the Bequest of Ailsa Mellon Bruce. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1978: 100, repro. (continuing exhibition beginning in 1978).

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 432, repro.

2003

  • Salomon, Antoine, and Guy Cogeval. Vuillard, The Inexhaustible Glance: Critical Catalogue of Paintings and Pastels. 3 vols. Milan and Paris, 2003: 1:no. IV-64, repro., as Two Woman Drinking Hot Chocolate.

Wikidata ID

Q20190387

You may be interested in

Loading Results