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Open 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Importunate (Importune)

1900

Albert Besnard

Associated Names

Albert Besnard

Artist, French, 1849 - 1934

This is a drawing of a dimly lit room with a sickbed, a cloaked figure, and a skeleton. The scene is shrouded in darkness, creating a somber, eerie ambiance. In the left portion of the image, a bed is visible with glimpses of white sheets, and upon it lies a figure under the covers, with an exposed head resting on the pillow and eyes seemingly closed. To the right of this figure stands another shadowy figure in a flowing cloak, slightly bending towards the bed. Dominating the right of the room stands a skeleton, its bony frame illuminated by a faint light source that draws attention to its form. A table adjacent to the bed holds bottles and a glass.

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Artwork overview

Medium

etching and aquatint in black on Van Gelder Zonen wove paper
Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Dimensions

plate: 14 x 10.9 cm (5 1/2 x 4 5/16 in.)
sheet: 45.1 x 31.6 cm (17 3/4 x 12 7/16 in.)
Accession Number

1990.95.7
Catalogue Raisonné

Delteil, no. 137, State ii/ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell, Cambridge, MA; gift to NGA, 1990.

Associated Names

Professor and Mrs. Daniel Bell

Bibliography

1906

Delteil, Loys. Le peintre-graveur illustre. 31 vols. Paris: Published by the author, 1906-1926. Reprint. New York: Collectors Editions, Da Capo Press, 1969. Vol. 30 (Albert Besnard) is by Louis Godefroy.

Inscriptions

below platemark, center in graphite: ABesnard; lower left in plate: AB

Markings

None.

Watermarks

None.

Wikidata ID

Q74885519

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