Self-Portrait, Aged 21

1889

Edouard Vuillard

Painter, French, 1868 - 1940

The head of a pale-skinned man nearly fills this shadowy, vertical portrait painting. His shoulders angle to our right, and his dark eyes cut back to look at us. Light from the top left corner highlights his light blond hair, and he has a full beard. He has a straight nose, and his high cheekbones and eye sockets are cast in deep shadow. A high white collar peeks over the lapels of a slate-blue jacket. The background is thinly painted, appearing almost scratched on in some areas, with black against a lighter ground. The brushstrokes are loose and visible throughout the painting. The artist signed the work in the lower right corner in rust-red paint, "E. Vuillard."

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-C

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

  • Dimensions

    overall: 22.2 x 17.4 cm (8 3/4 x 6 7/8 in.)
    framed: 30.2 x 25.4 x 3.5 cm (11 7/8 x 10 x 1 3/8 in.)

  • Accession

    1995.47.15

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Estate of the artist [d. 1940]; his relatives, the Salomon family; sold through (Arthur Tooth & Sons, London) 28 November 1969 to Mr. Paul Mellon [1907-1999], Upperville, VA; gift 1995 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1999

  • An Enduring Legacy: Masterpieces from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1999-2000, no cat.

2003

  • Edouard Vuillard, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2003-2004, not in cat. (shown only in Washington).

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. 29.

Bibliography

2003

  • Salomon, Antoine, and Guy Cogeval. Vuillard, The Inexhaustible Glance: Critical Catalogue of Paintings and Pastels. 3 vols. Milan and Paris, 2003: 1:no. I-80, repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: E Vuillard

Wikidata ID

Q20190049

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