The Conversation
1891
Artist, French, 1868 - 1940
East Building Ground Level, Gallery 103-C
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil on canvas
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Credit Line
-
Dimensions
overall: 23.8 x 33.4 cm (9 3/8 x 13 1/8 in.)
framed: 46.2 x 55.2 x 6.9 cm (18 3/16 x 21 3/4 x 2 11/16 in.) -
Accession
1970.17.92
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
(Arthur Tooth and Sons, London, Paris, and New York); sold 1947 to Capt. Edward H. Molyneux [1891-1974], Paris;[1] sold 15 August 1955 to Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969], New York;[2] bequest 1970 to NGA.
[1] Letter from Arthur Tooth & Sons dated 15 December 1977, in NGA curatorial files, confirms their sale of the picture, but notes that their records on its provenance were destroyed during the war. See also letter dated 22 September 1999 from Guy Cogeval, in NGA curatorial files.
[2] According to NGA curatorial records and the Ailsa Mellon Bruce notebook now in NGA archives.
Associated Names
Exhibition History
1952
French Paintings from the Molyneux Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1952, unnumbered checklist, as Conversation Piece.
1958
Paintings from the Collection of Mrs. Mellon Bruce, Society of the Four Arts, Palm Beach, 1958, no. 45, as Conversation Piece
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. 71, repro
1966
French Paintings from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and Mrs. Mellon Bruce, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1966, no. 174, repro
1978
Small French Paintings from the Bequest of Ailsa Mellon Bruce, NAtional Gallery of Art, 1978, unnumbered catalogue, repro.
1989
The Intimate Interiors of Edouard Vuillard, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Phillips Collection, Washington; The Brooklyn Museum, 1989-1990, no. 62, repro
Impressionisti della National Gallery of Art di Washington, Ala Napoleonica e Museo Correr, Venice; Palazzo Reale, Milan, 1989, unnumbered catalogue, repro.
1990
Französische Impressionisten und ihre Wegbereiter aus der National Gallery of Art, Washington und dem Cincinnati Art Museum, Neue Pinakothek, Munich, 1990, no. 72, repro.
1998
Il Tempo dei Nabis [The Time of the Nabis], Palazzo Corsini, Florence; The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1998, no. 57 (Florence), no. 169 (Montreal).
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, no. 77, 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. 60.
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: 96, repro. (continuing exhibition beginning in 1978).
1985
European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 431, repro.
1990
Französische Impressionisten und ihre Wegbereiter aus der National Gallery of Art, Washington und dem Cincinnati Art Museum. Exh. cat. Neue Pinakothek, Munich, 1990: no. 72, repro.
1991
Coman, Florence E. Joie de Vivre: French Paintings from the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1991: no. 32, repro.
Kopper, Philip. America's National Gallery of Art: A Gift to the Nation. New York, 1991: 262, color repro.
Inscriptions
lower left with atelier stamp: E Vuillard
Wikidata ID
Q20190252