Provenance

E.V. Thaw & Co., Inc.

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This work is created entirely with dripped and splattered black paint against a bone-colored background in this abstract horizontal painting. The left half is a collection of mostly vertical lines above a nest-like patch of crossing lines near the bottom. Many of the vertical lines are spaced apart so only a few overlap, and the lines are marked with splotches that resemble ink blots. To our right, more densely spaced spatters and lightly curving lines combine to create an abstracted face and body of a person. The artist signed and dated the work in black paint in the lower right corner: “Jackson Pollock 51.”
Jackson Pollock, Number 7, 1951, 1951, enamel on canvas, Gift of the Collectors Committee, 1983.77.1

Number 7, 1951

Jackson Pollock · 1951 · enamel on canvas ·  Accession ID  1983.77.1

A woman plays an upright piano as two boys play checkers at a table in this horizontal painting. The scene is loosely painted with areas of flat color and pattern. The people have pale, peachy skin and dark brown hair. Their facial features are painted with dots or short strokes of black. The piano is against the wall to our left. The woman wears a short-sleeved, lemon-yellow dress with a long skirt. A music book is propped on the music stand, and loosely painted objects line the top of the instrument. The wall behind the piano is patterned with white and pale yellow flowers under and around arches against a cranberry-red background. The table where the boys play is in the middle of the room. The players sit in wooden chairs and wear black and white striped jackets with white collars. The boy to our right looks at the board while resting his left cheek, closer to us, in his hand. The other boy looks on with his arms on the table in front of him. The checkerboard sits on a red and white striped cloth, which has lines of black dots in the white strips. Beneath the table is a floral rug with blue and black flowers against a red background. The border is painted loosely with leafy shapes against bright white. Beneath the area rug the floor or another carpet is garnet red with a diamond-shaped grid painted in orange. A petal-pink, upholstered chair sits in front of a tall wardrobe in the back corner of the room. A picture with two violins against a blue background hangs on the side of the furniture to our right. A chest of drawers next to the wardrobe holds a few bowls or objects and a white statue, about half human height. The statue is of a person standing with one knee bent in front of the other, one elbow tucked by the side with that hand held to the chest, and the other bent elbow raised overhead. Pictures hang on the wall around the statue, and the wallpaper there is ivory white with a dark yellow pattern. The artist signed the work in the lower right corner, “Henri Matisse.”
Henri Matisse, Pianist and Checker Players, 1924, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.25

Pianist and Checker Players

Henri Matisse · 1924 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1985.64.25

Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman stands close to us with a red schoolhouse in the distance under a sunset sky in this vertical painting. The woman’s body faces us, but she turns her head to look off to the left with light brown eyes. She has a short, straight nose, full pink lips, and a round face. Her blond hair is pulled up under a round white hat layered with ruffles, which lies like a pancake over the top of her head. Her white dress is vertically striped with thin rust-red lines and has a long-sleeved, tight-fitting bodice and a long skirt. A dark gray belt is cinched around her narrow waist, and she wears a black, lacy ruffle around her neck. The woman’s arms hang by her sides, and she holds two paperback-sized books in her left hand, to our right. An earth-brown lawn stretches back to the schoolhouse, which has crimson-red walls, a chimney, and a dark gray roof. Three forms painted with a few streaks of dark or light gray or topaz blue suggest people standing near the door of the schoolhouse. Trees and a grassy lawn beyond the building are loosely painted with blended strokes. The sky is shaded pale lemon yellow and light peach with touches of rose pink. The artist signed and dated the lower right corner, “HOMER 1873.”
Winslow Homer, The Red School House, 1873, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.21

The Red School House

Winslow Homer · 1873 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  1985.64.21

The sculpture displays three layers of overlapping abstract shapes, each painted in distinct colors. The colors across the three layers include red, yellow, green, black, white, and pink. The shape at the front looks almost like a human shape with an extra set of arms coming from the torso, with the upper body and head painted red and the legs painted black. The shape of the layer behind this one is hard to determine, but it appears to be painted in hot pink and black. The shape of the last layer is a large, uneven oval, painted in red, yellow, green, and black. A small, round, white shape is set on top of this bottom shape in the top right. The sculpture is set against a plain white background.
Jean (Hans) Arp, The Forest, 1916, painted wood, Andrew W. Mellon Fund, 1977.20.1

The Forest

Jean (Hans) Arp · 1916 · painted wood ·  Accession ID  1977.20.1

A nude woman sitting with bent knees is carved from white marble in this freestanding sculpture. In this view, the woman’s body faces us. Her right knee, to our left, is bent so that leg lies along the ground. Her feet are together, and the other bent leg is upright. She holds her left hand, to our right, to that cheek so the elbow is close to the raised knee. She leans onto her other hand, which is placed just behind her with the fingers facing in. Her round face tips toward her raised hand, and she has delicate features and wide cheeks. Her hair is parted down the middle, rolled along her hairline, and is pulled back. The square base on which she sits is carved from the same piece of marble. The sculpture is photographed against a gray background.
Aristide Maillol, La Méditerranée, c. 1906, Carrara marble, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1995.47.17

La Méditerranée

Aristide Maillol · c. 1906 · Carrara marble ·  Accession ID  1995.47.17

Edvard Munch, M. W. Lassally Graphische Kunst-Anstalt, The Vampire (Vampyr), 1895, color lithograph and woodcut with watercolor [trial proof], Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund and Gift of Lionel C. Epstein, 1972.21.1

The Vampire (Vampyr)

Edvard Munch, M. W. Lassally Graphische Kunst-Anstalt · 1895 · color lithograph and woodcut with watercolor [trial proof] ·  Accession ID  1972.21.1

This is a drawing of two figures posing against billowing smoke and architectural structures. The drawing is done in ink and a wash technique on textured paper, using fluid lines to define forms and movement. The figures are muscular, with shadows accentuating their physique. The background includes swirling clouds and city-like structures. Shading adds depth and emphasizes dramatic tension in the scene.
Gaspare Diziani, Aeneas Carrying Anchises from Burning Troy, c. 1733, pen and brown ink with gray wash on tan laid paper, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund, 1971.79.1

Aeneas Carrying Anchises from Burning Troy

Gaspare Diziani · c. 1733 · pen and brown ink with gray wash on tan laid paper ·  Accession ID  1971.79.1

This is a drawing of a man's face. His face is slightly turned to the left, and he looks at us out of the corners of his eyes. He has light skin, a white beard and mustache, and thinning hair. His eyebrows are dark and appear furrowed above his large, round eyes. He wears round glasses seated on the bridge of his nose. Around his neck is the outline of a collar. The background is blank paper.
Henri Matisse, Self-Portrait, 1937, charcoal with stumping on laid paper, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.104

Self-Portrait

Henri Matisse · 1937 · charcoal with stumping on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1985.64.104

This is a drawing of a highly detailed architectural design reminiscent of Baroque or Renaissance ceilings. It features ornate panels, ceremonial motifs, and sculptural embellishments. The drawing includes multiple roundels and medallions depicting allegoric figures and intricate floral designs. The central ceiling painting shows a sky with mythical figures, creating a sense of depth and grandeur typical of trompe-l'oeil painting. The drawing is in grayscale and may have been created as a preliminary study for a mural or fresco.
Ferdinando Galli Bibiena, A Grand Illusionistic Ceiling, 1720/1740, pen and brown ink with gray and brown washes over graphite on laid paper, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund and an Anonymous Donor, 1994.73.1

A Grand Illusionistic Ceiling

Ferdinando Galli Bibiena · 1720/1740 · pen and brown ink with gray and brown washes over graphite on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1994.73.1

The image shows a landscape with a low horizon. On the horizon are faint lines suggesting buildings. On the right, a detailed pencil drawing features a person guiding two oxen pulling a cart. The background transitions from dense foliage to less distinct as it moves left. The drawing's fine pencil strokes capture details clearly, and the monochrome palette highlights shading and line work for a serene setting.
Eugène Boudin, L'Ile aux Moines with Figure and Cart, c. 1858, graphite, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1980.25.1

L'Ile aux Moines with Figure and Cart

Eugène Boudin · c. 1858 · graphite ·  Accession ID  1980.25.1