Cézanne portraits
(Book)

Published in 2017 in Great Britain by National Portrait Gallery Publications, London.

Published to accompany the exhibition "Cézanne Portraits" held at the Musée D'Orsay in Paris from 13 June to 24 September 2017 ; the National Portrait Gallery in London from 26 October 2017 to 11 February 2018 ; the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. from 25 March to 1 July 2018.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 246-247) and indexes.

A major new study of the portraiture of one of the most important artists of the nineteenth century. Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) may be best known for his landscapes, but he also painted some 160 portraits throughout his exceptional career. This major work establishes portraiture as an essential practice for Cézanne, from his earliest self-portraits in the 1860s; to his famous depictions of figures including his wife Hortense Fiquet, the writer Émile Zola, and the art dealer Ambrose Vollard; and concluding with a poignant series of portraits of his gardener Vallier, made shortly before Cézanne's death. Featured essays by leading experts explore the special pictorial and thematic characteristics of Cézanne's portraits. The authors address the artist's creation of complementary pairs and multiple versions of the same subject, as well as the role of self-portraiture for Cézanne. They investigate the chronological evolution of his portrait work, with an examination of the changes that occurred within his artistic style and method, and in his understanding of resemblance and identity. They also consider the extent to which particular sitters influenced the characteristics and development of Cézanne's practice.

Text in English.