Rue Terre Neuve, Meudon

probably late 1910s to early 1920s

Gwen John

Associated Names
Gwen John

Painter, British, 1876 - 1939

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 22 x 27.4 cm (8 11/16 x 10 13/16 in.)
    framed: 22.9 x 28.1 x 2.2 cm (9 x 11 1/16 x 7/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1994.59.16

More About this Artwork

In this black and white photograph, a woman wearing a black dress leans toward an arched mirror set into a wall, so we see the woman twice in this double portrait. We are situated slightly below her so we look up at the woman, who gazes down and to our right. The surface of the wall is smooth but lightly textured, like adobe. Trees reflected in the mirror indicate that this is outdoors. The woman in front of us takes up the left half of the composition. She faces our right in profile and leans to our right, at the far edge of the mirror. Her dark hair is pulled up in ribbon entwined braids. She wears long, chandelier style earrings and her high-necked black dress has puffed, lace sleeves. We see her face straight on in the mirror’s reflection. The woman’s distinctive brows knit together over her rounded nose.

Article:  15 LGBTQ+ Artists to Know

Discover the lives of 15 LGBTQ+ artists and their art, much of which you can see at the National Gallery.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Estate of the artist; acquired 1966 by (Davis Galleries, New York) through (Faerber and Maison Ltd., London); sold 1966 to private collection, New York; acquired 1975 by (Davis & Long Company, New York); purchased 1975 by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia;[1] gift 1994 to NGA.
[1] Provenance from Cecily Langdale, Gwen John: With a Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings and a Selection of the Drawings, New Haven and London, 1987: 161.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1961

  • Gwen John Exhibition, The Matthiesen Gallery, London, 1961, no. 29.

1975

  • Gwen John: A Retrospective Exhibition, Davis & Long Company, New York, 1975, no. 25, repro.

2015

  • A Lineage of American Perceptual Painters, The Mitchell Gallery, St. John's College, Annapolis, 2015, no catalogue.

Bibliography

1987

  • Langdale, Cecily. Gwen John: With a Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings and a Selection of the Drawings. New Haven and London, 1987: no. 90, pl. 222.

Wikidata ID

Q20191950

You may be interested in

Loading Results