Nude Woman (Femme dénudée), c. 1900
Louis Legrandexpand_more
Pastel on cardboardexpand_more
Gift of Dr. Gabriel P. and Yvonne M.L. Weisbergexpand_more 2021.131.1
Not on Viewexpand_more
Louis Legrand was apt to challenge accepted sexual mores, which made his art controversial. He looked to Parisian brothels for his subjects, whom he often depicted during intimate moments. Many collectors knew of Legrand’s sensual prints, but pastels such as this one were known mostly to private connoisseurs. The artist took an original approach to pastel, evident here in his scrawls, swirls, smudges, and mixing of colors. He used lurid pinks and blues with a slash of yellow for his model, captured resting or perhaps daydreaming.
Despite having been jailed briefly for the obscenity of some of his work, Legrand was made a knight of the French Legion of Honor in 1906. His success proved fleeting, however, and he died, largely forgotten, in 1951.
Details
- Title
- Nude Woman (Femme dénudée)
- Artist Life
- Dijon 1863–Livry-Gargan, Seine-Saint-Denis 1951
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2021.131.1
- Provenance
- Collection Hulin de Loo (Ghent, Belgium, 1862–1945). [Mathieu Néouze, Paris, until 2018; to Weisberg]; Yvonne and Gabriel Weisberg, Minneapolis (2018–21; given to Mia)
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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