Pastry Chef

c. 1923

Chaim Soutine

Associated Names
Chaim Soutine

Artist, French, born Russia (now Belarus), 1893 - 1943

This painting shows an upper-body portrait of a person seated, facing forward. The person is depicted in an abstract manner, with thick, swirling brushstrokes. They have prominent ears, a long face, small eyes, and arched eyebrows. Their skin is painted in shades of pink, tan, and red, with some green highlights. The person's hair is covered by a white hat that curves outward at the top, similar to a chef’s hat. They are wearing a light-colored robe or garment painted in white, pale blue, and pale green. They seem to be sitting in a brown chair, and behind that the background is a blend of green hues with visible brushstrokes.
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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist. Private collection, Switzerland. (Fine Arts Associates/Gerson Gallery, New York).[1] Joseph H. Hazen [1898-1994], New York, by 1956;[2] Joseph H. Hazen Foundation, New York; gift 1971 to NGA.
[1] Provenance prior to donor per deed of gift.
[2] Hazen lent the painting to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for its summer exhibition in 1956, according to the Museum Archive, email from 22 August 2023 in curatorial records.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1956

  • Modern European Paintings from New York Private Collections, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1956.

1966

  • Paintings from the Collection of Joseph H. Hazen, Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts; The Art Galleries, University of California, Los Angeles; University Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1966-1967, no. 39, repro.

1968

  • Chaim Soutine, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1968, no. 35, repro.

1969

  • Chaim Soutine, Perls Galleries, New York, no. 8, repro.

1972

  • Not So Long Ago: Art of the 1920s in Europe and America, University Art Museum, University of Texas, Austin, 1972-1973, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

1981

  • Extended loan for use by the Ambassador, U.S. Embassy residence, Bonn, West Germany, 1981-1985.

1989

  • Soutine, Musée de Chartres, 1989, no. 24, repro.

1996

  • Extended loan for use by Secretary Robert E. Rubin, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Washington, D.C., 1998-1999.

  • Loan for display with permanent collection, Baum Gallery of Fine Art, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, 1996-1997.

Bibliography

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 330, repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 380, repro.

Inscriptions

upper right: Soutine

Wikidata ID

Q20192469

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