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National Gallery of Art

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Tours and Guides
    • Explore the Campus

    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    East building

    Must-Sees at the National Gallery

    Make the most of your visit

    Learn more

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    America’s 250th

    Celebrating American art and artists

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Fun and Games
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Open Call

    Artists Reimagining the Collection

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

Utility

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  • Shop
  • Become a Member

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Tours and Guides
    • Explore the Campus

    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    East building

    Must-Sees at the National Gallery

    Make the most of your visit

    Learn more

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    America’s 250th

    Celebrating American art and artists

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Fun and Games
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Open Call

    Artists Reimagining the Collection

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

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  • Support
  • Shop
  • Become a Member

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    3. Henri Gervex

    Henri Gervex

    French, 1852 - 1929

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    Artwork

    Three pale-skinned men wearing black garments and long, white aprons stand behind a table on which lies a nude corpse on a white sheet in this vertical painting. The corpse’s head is to our right and the face falls toward us. The eyes are sunken, and the rib cage and hip bones protrude sharply from the body. The men gathered behind the table are painted with fewer details so their faces are indistinct, though we can make out that the person to our left has gray hair, and he touches the corpse’s pelvis. The other two have dark beards and might wear black caps, and the middle person might take notes. The man to our right rests both hands on the table on either side of the corpse’s head and leans forward, looking down. The table is under the curve of a thick arched wall that separates two high, deep-set windows. Two unlit lamps hang above. The scene is painted with dabs and some visible brushstrokes, giving it a soft, shadowy, and hazy appearance. The artist signed the painting in red in the lower left, “H. Gervex.”
    Henri Gervex, Study for "Autopsy at the Hôtel-Dieu", 1876, oil on canvas, Gift of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2006.158.1

    Study for "Autopsy at the Hôtel-Dieu"

    Study for "Autopsy at the Hôtel-Dieu"

    Henri Gervex · 1876 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2006.158.1

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