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The Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings of Paul Cezanne
An Online Catalogue Raisonné under the Direction of Société Paul Cezanne
(Formerly directed by Walter Feilchenfeldt, Jayne Warman and David Nash)
Catalogue entry
FWN 923
Trois baigneuses
1876–77
Alternate titles: Bagnanti; Baignade; Baigneuses; Drei badende Frauen; Etude de baigneuses; Les baigneuses; Les trois baigneuses; Three Bathers; Tres bañistas
Rewald (360): 1876–77; Venturi revised: 1878–79; Venturi (381): 1879–82; Cooper: 1881–82 (Burlington)
Oil on canvas
20 1/2 x 21 3/8 in. (52 x 54.5 cm)
Vollard A stockbook: no. 4121, baigneuses trois femmes, celle de gauche tient une linge; feuilles verts
Vollard archives: photo no. 47, Annotated by Cezanne's son: 1877
Provenance
Ambroise Vollard, Paris
Henri Matisse, Nice (Dec. 7, 1899);
Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris (1936)
Exhibition History
1904b Paris
Salon d'Automne, Grand Palais, Paris, Salle Cézanne, October 15–November 15, 1904, no. 28, as Baigneuses, lent by Vollard for Matisse.1910a Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Paul Cézanne, January 10–22, 1910, no. 27, as Baignade, lent by H. Matisse.1919 Paris
Paul Rosenberg, Paris, L'art français au XIXe siècle, 1919.1922d Paris
Paul Rosenberg, Paris, Œuvres de grands maitres du dix-neuvième siècle, May 3–June 3, 1922, no. 7, as Baigneuses, 1880, lent by H. Matisse.1924a Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Exposition Paul Cézanne (au profit de la caisse du monument Cézanne), March 3–24, 1924.1929 Cannes
Musée de Cannes, Cannes, France, La Provence et ses peintres au XIXe siècle, 1929, no. 8, lent by Matisse.1942 Albi
Musée d'Albi, Albi, France, Deuxième Salon annuel du Musée d'Albi, 1942, no. 537.1945b Paris
Musée Galliera, Paris, Peintures des maîtres français provenant des collections de la ville de Paris, 1945, no. 54.1947 Zurich
Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, Petit Palais: musée de la Ville de Paris, June 9–August 31, 1947, no. 179, as Les baigneuses, 1879-1882.1948 Venice
Biennale Internationale d'Arte, Venice, Italy, Gli Impressionisti alla XXIV Biennale di Venezia, May 29–September 30, 1948, no. 41, ill., as Bagnanti, c. 1879–82, lent by Petit Palais, Paris.1951 Rennes
Hôtel de Ville, Rennes, France, Les origines de l'art contemporain, April 28–June 3, 1951, no. 40, as Baigneuses, c. 1879-82.1953a Paris
Petit Palais, Paris, Un siècle d'art français, 1850–1950, 1953, no. 444, ill., pl. 38, as Les trois baigneuses, 1879-1882.1956 Aix-en-Provence
Pavillon de Vendôme, Aix-en-Provence, France, Exposition pour commémorer le cinquantenaire de la mort de Cézanne, July 21–August 15, 1956, no. 18, ill. lent by Petit Palais.1956 Zurich
Kunsthaus, Zurich, Paul Cézanne, August 22–October 7, 1956, no. 42.1956 Munich
Haus der Kunst, Munich, Paul Cézanne, October 12–November 18, 1956, no. 30, ill. lent by Petit Palais.1956–57 Cologne
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, (Kunsthaus Lempertz), Cologne, Cézanne, Ausstellung zum Gedenken an sein 50. Todesjahr, December 1956–January 1957, no. 7, ill. lent by Petit Palais.1962 Brussels and traveling
Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, Le groupe des XX et son temps, February 17–April 8, 1962, no. 10, as Les trois baigneuses, lent by Musée du Petit Palais, Paris. Traveled to: Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo, the Netherlands, April 15–June 17, 1962.1969 Saint-Paul de Vence
Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul de Vence, France, À la rencontre de Matisse, July–September 1969, no. 130, ill., as Trois baigneuses, c. 1880.1973 Bordeaux and traveling
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, Les Cubistes, May 4–September 1, 1973, no. 9, ill., as Les baigneuses, 1879-1882, lent by Petit Palais, Paris. Traveled to: Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, September 26–November 10, 1973.1974 Tokyo and traveling
National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Cézanne, March 30–May 19, 1974, no. 13. Traveled to: Municipal Museum, Kyoto, Japan, June 1–July 17, 1974; Cultural Center, Fukuoka, Japan, July 24–August 18, 1974.1984 Madrid
Museo Español de Arte Contemporáneo, Madrid, Paul Cézanne, March 9–April 1984, no. 22.1987 Jerusalem and traveling
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Peindre dans la lumière de la Méditerranée, July–September 1987, no. 61, ill. in color, as Les baigneuses, 1879-1882. Traveled to: Musée Cantini, Marseille, France, October–November 1987.1989 Basel
Kunstmuseum, Basel, Switzerland, Paul Cézanne: Die Badenden, September 10–December 10, 1989, no. 35, pls. 110 and 222.1995–96 Paris and traveling
Grand Palais, Paris, Cézanne, September 26, 1995–January 14, 1996, no. 60, ill. Traveled to: Tate Gallery, London, February 8–April 28, 1996; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, May 26–September 1, 1996.1998 Bonn
Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Germany, Die großen Sammlungen VII: Von Ingres bis Cézanne, Kunst des 19. Jahrhunderts aus der Sammlung des Musée du Petit Palais, Paris, May 27–September 27, 1998, no. 195, ill., as Les trois baigneuses, 1879-82.2003 Barcelona
Fundación La Caixa - CaixaForum, Barcelona, Spain, D'Ingres à Bonnard: collection du Musée du Petit Palais, Paris, February 17–May 11, 2003, no. 52, ill., as Trois baigneuses.2004 Bilbao
Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao, Spain, De Ingres à Cézanne : El siglo XIX en la coleccion del Petit Palais, June 28–September 19, 2004, no. 73, ill., as Tres bañistas, 1879-1882.2006–07 New York and traveling
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde, September 14, 2006–January 7, 2007, no. 33, fig. 147, pp. 132, 338, as Trois baigneuses. Traveled to: The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, February 17–May 13, 2007; Musée d'Orsay, Paris, June 19–September 16, 2007.2009 Philadelphia
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Cézanne and Beyond, February 26–May 17, 2009, pl. 10, p. 123, as Trois baigneuses.2011–12 San Francisco and traveling
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde, May 21–September 6, 2011, pl. 115, as Three Bathers, 1879-82, lent by Petit Palais; shown in San Francisco only. Traveled to: Grand Palais, Paris, October 5, 2011–January 16, 2012 (see Paris 2011-12a for a separate listing because the catalogue numbers are different from the two American venues); The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, February 21–June 3, 2012.2011–12 Paris
Musée du Luxembourg, Paris, Cézanne et Paris, October 12, 2011–February 26, 2012, no. 47, ill., p. 95, as Trois baigneuses, lent by Petit Palais.2012 Tokyo
National Art Center, Tokyo, Cézanne: Paris-Provence, March 28–May 11, 2012, no. 55, ill.2013 Caen
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Caen, France, Un été au bord de l'eau: loisirs et impressionnisme, March 27–September 29, 2013, no. 62, ill., as Trois baigneuses, c. 1879-1882.2016 London
National Gallery, London, Painters' Painting: From Freud to Van Dyck, June 23–September 4, 2016, no. 7, ill., p. 31.2021–22 Budapest
Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest, Hungary, Cezanne to Malevich, Arcadia to Abstraction, October 28, 2021–February 13, 2022, no. 54, ill.2022–23 Chicago and traveling
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Cezanne, May 15–September 5, 2022, no. 104, ill. Traveled to: Tate Moderrn, London, October 6, 2022–March 12, 2023.Published References
Vollard 1914
Vollard, Ambroise. Paul Cézanne. Paris: Vollard, 1914, pl. 45.Coquiot 1919
Coquiot, Gustave. Paul Cézanne. Paris: Ollendorf, 1919, ill. p. 192 (opposite), as Baigneuses.Janneau 1922
Janneau, Guillaume. "Les grandes expositions: maîtres du siècle passé." La Renaissance de l'art français et des industries de luxe (Paris), vol. 5, no. 5 (May 1922), p. 342.Bell 1923
Bell, Clive. Since Cézanne. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1923, frontispiece.Faure 1923a
Faure, Élie. P. Cézanne. Paris, 1923, pl. 57, as Etude de baigneuses.Denis 1924
Denis, Maurice. "Le dessin de Cézanne." L'Amour de l'art 5, no. 2 (February 1924), ill. p. 41, as Baigneuses, (Coll. Henri-Matisse).D'Ors 1930
Ors, Eugenio d.' Paul Cézanne. Paris: Editions des Chroniques du Jour, 1930, pl. 39.Iavorskaia 1935a
Iavorskaia, Nina. Cézanne. Moscow: Ogiz-Izogiz, 1935, pl. 38.Art et les Artistes 1936
Art et les Artistes (January 1936), p. 140, ill.Venturi 1936b
Venturi, Lionello. Cézanne: Son Art, Son Oeuvre. Paris: Editions Paul Rosenberg, 1936, no. 381, ill. vol. II, as Trois baigneuses.Escholier 1937
Escholier, Raymond. Henri Matisse. Paris: Floury, 1937, p. 17, note 2 (reprint of Matisse's letter of Nov. 10, 1936).Laver 1937
Laver, James. French Painting and the Nineteenth Century. London: B.T. Batsford, 1937, fig. 116.Matisse 1937
Matisse, Henri. "Un geste noble de Henri Matisse." Beaux-arts: Chronique des arts et de la curiosité, no. 230 (May 28, 1937), p. 2, as Trois baigneuses.Cogniat 1939a
Cogniat, Raymond. Cézanne. Paris: Pierre Tisné, 1939, pl. 25.Dorival 1946
Dorival, Bernard. Images de la peinture française contemporaine. Paris: Éditions Nomis, 1946, p. 13.Dorival 1948
Dorival, Bernard. Cézanne. Paris: Pierre Tisné, 1948, pl. 68, listed p. 155.Jourdain 1950
Jourdain, Francis. Cézanne. Paris: Braun, 1950, ill.Barr 1951
Barr, Jr., Alfred H. Matisse: His Art and His Public. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1951, p. 18, ill., and pp. 38–40.Hartlaub 1953
Hartlaub, G.F. Die Impressionisten in Frankreich. Wiesbaden: Emil Vollmer Verlag, [c. 1953], ill. p. 44, as Drei badende Frauen.Raynal 1954
Raynal, Maurice. Cézanne. Geneva: Skira, 1954, p. 60, ill.Franz 1956
Franz, H.G. "Cézanne und die Abkehr von Impressionismus." Forschungen und Fortschritte (February 1956), p. 54.Balzer 1958
Balzer, Wolfgang. Der Französische Impressionismus: Die Hauptmeister in der Malerei. Dresden: Verlag der Kunst, 1958, no. 109, ill., as Drei badende Frauen, 1879-1882.Golding 1958
Golding, John. "The 'Demoiselles d'Avignon.'" The Burlington Magazine 100, no. 662 (May 1958), p. 156, fig. 17 p. [154], as Trois baigneuses.Golding 1959
Golding, John. Cubism: A History and an Analysis, 1907–1914. London: G. Wittenborn, 1959, fig. 79A.Uchida 1960
Uchida, Sono. Cézanne. Tokyo: Misuzu-Shobo, 1960, p. 31, ill.Novotny 1961
Novotny, Fritz. Cézanne. London: Phaidon, 1961, pl. 13.Beucken 1962
Beucken, Jean de. Cézanne. New York: Viking Press, 1962, p. 73, ill.Feist 1962
Feist, Peter Heinz. "Harmonie Parallel zur Natur, zur Malerei Paul Cezannes." Bildende Kunst 1 (1962), p. 21, ill.Grünigen 1964
Grünigen, Berchtold von. Vom Impressionismus zum Tachismus. Basel: Birkhäuser, 1964, p. 24, fig. 30.Murphy 1968
Murphy, Richard W. The World of Cézanne, 1839–1906. New York: Time-Life Books, 1968, p. 178.Ikegami 1969
Ikegami, Chuji. Cézanne. Tokyo: Shueisha, 1969, pl. 22.Huyghe 1971
Huyghe, René. Impressionism. London: Bracken Books, 1971, p. 114, ill.Matisse 1972
Matisse, Henri. Ecrits et propos sur l'art. Paris: Hermann, 1972, pp. 47–48, 83–84, p. 134, note 103, p. 310.Flam 1973
Flam, Jack. Matisse on Art. New York: Phaidon, 1973, pp. 38, 55, 75 (English translation), 25, fig. 9.Schapiro 1973
Schapiro, Meyer. Paul Cézanne. Translated by Louis-Marie Ollivier. Paris: Nouvelles Editions Françaises, 1973, p. 58, ill.Sutton 1974
Sutton, Denys. "The Paradoxes of Cézanne." Apollo (London) 100, no. 150 (August 1974), ill. on cover.Elgar 1975
Elgar, Frank. Cézanne. New York: Praeger, 1975, fig. 40.Wadley 1975
Wadley, Nicholas. Cézanne and His Art. London: Hamlyn, 1975, pl. 77.Reff 1977b
Reff, Theodore. "Cézanne's Late Bather Paintings." Arts Magazine 52, no. 2 (October 1977), p. 117, fig. 4.Embiricos 1978
Embiricos, Georges A. "Cézanne et la répétition." Connaissance des Arts, no. 315 (May 1978), p. 72, ill.Gordon 1978
Gordon, Donald E. "The Expressionist Cézanne." Artforum 16, no. 7 (March 1978), p. 37, ill.Venturi 1978
Venturi, Lionello. Cézanne. Geneva: Skira, 1978, p. 125, ill.Plazy 1981
Plazy, Gilles. Cézanne. Fribourg: Editions Medea, 1981, p. 58.Ponente 1981
Ponente, Nello, ed. Cézanne e le avanguardie. Rome: Officina Edizioni, 1981, Colli: pl. 10.Harris 1982
Harris, Nathaniel. The Art of Cézanne. London: Optimum Books, 1982, p. 76, ill. in color.Ballas 1983
Ballas, Guila. "Unknown Sources for Cézanne's Women Bathers." In Norms and Variations in Art: Essays in Honor of Moshe Barasch. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University, 1983, p. 189.Le Pichon 1984
Le Pichon, Yann. The Real World of the Impressionists: Painting and Photographs, 1848–1918. New York: C.N. Potter, 1984, p. 233, ill.Shiff 1984
Shiff, Richard. Cézanne and the end of Impressionism: a study of the theory, technique, and a critical evaluation of modern art. Chicago; London: The Univesity of Chicago Press, 1984, pp. 167, 208, fig. 36, 49, as Trois baigneuses, c. 1881-82.Pickvance and Takumi 1986
Pickvance, Ronald, and Hideo Takumi. Cézanne. Tokyo: Tokyo Shimbun, 1986. Exhibition catalogue, p. 36, ill.Teboul 1988
Teboul, Jacques. Les Victoires de Cézanne. Paris: Adam Biro, 1988, no. 39, ill.Geelhaar 1989
Geelhaar, Christian. "The Painters Who Had the Right Eyes: On the reception of Cézanne's Bathers." In Paul Cézanne: The Bathers. Basel: Kunstmuseum Basel, 1989. Exhibition catalogue, p. 291, fig. 222, as Trois baigneuses.Rewald 1989
Rewald, John. Cézanne and America: Dealers, Collectors, Artists and Critics, 1891–1921. Princeton: Princeton University Press; London: Thames & Hudson, 1989, p. 194, fig. 57.Wadley 1989
Wadley, Nicholas. Cézanne and His Art. London: Hamlyn, 1989, p. 91, ill. in color.Krumrine 1992
Krumrine, Mary Louise. "Cézanne's 'Restricted Power': Further Reflections on the 'Bathers.'" The Burlington Magazine 134, no. 1074 (September 1992), fig. 14 p. 590, as Trois baigneuses.Verdi 1992
Verdi, Richard. Cézanne. London and New York: Thames & Hudson, 1992, p. 105, fig. 87.Sollers 1995
Sollers, Philippe. Le Paradis de Cézanne. Paris: Gallimard, 1995, p. 72-3, ill.Cahn 1995b
Cahn, Isabelle. Paul Cézanne. Paris: Somogy Editions d'Art, 1995, p. 37, ill.Garb 1996
Garb, Tamar. "Visuality and Sexuality in Cézanne's Late Bathers." Oxford Art Journal 19, no. 2 (1996), p. 57, fig. 15.Machotka 1996
Machotka, Pavel. Cézanne: Landscape into Art. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996, p. 49, fig. 24, as Trois baigneuses, dated 1881–82.Navarro 1996
"Paul Cézanne: el ermitaño tentado." Lettra inernacional (Madrid) 43 (March-April 1196), ill. p. 65, as Tres bañistas, 1879-1882.Rewald 1996
Rewald, John. The Paintings of Paul Cézanne, A Catalogue Raisonné, 2 vols. In Collaboration with Walter Feilchenfeldt and Jayne Warman. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996, no. 360, ill. vol. 2, as Trois baigneuses.Smith 1996
Smith, Paul. Interpreting Cézanne. London: Tate Publishing, 1996, p. 70, fig. 57, as Three Bathers.Lewis 2000
Lewis, Mary Tompkins. Cézanne. London: Phaidon, 2000, p. 146, fig. 94.Shiff 2000
Shiff, Richard. "Mark, Motif, Materiality." In Cézanne: Finished, Unfinished. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz, 2000. Exhibition catalogue, p. 113, fig. 16, as Trois baigneuses.Ballas 2002
Ballas, Guila. Cézanne: baigneuses et baigneurs: thème et composition. Paris: Adam Biro, 2002, ill. pp. 51 and 252 (detail), p. 277, no. 12, ill., as Trois baigneuses, 1879-80.Baumann 2004
Baumann, Felix A., ed. Cézanne—Aufbruch in die Moderne. Essen: Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2004. Exhibition catalogue, p. 61, ill., as Trois baigneuses.Farber 2006
Farber, Jules B. Autour de Cézanne. Sommières: Romain Pages, 2006, p. 68, ill. in color.Rodriguez 2007
Rodriguez, Jean-François. "Firenze 1910: la 'Prima Mostra Italiana dell'impressionismo frances' tra Cézanne e Picasso." In Cézanne a Firenze: Due collezionisti e la mostra dell'Impressionismo del 1910. Milan: Electa, 2007. Exhibition catalogue, p. 161, ill. in color.Shiff 2007
Shiff, Richard. "Risible Cézanne." In The Repeating Image: Multiples in French Painting from David to Matisse. Baltimore: Walters Art Museum, 2007. Exhibition catalogue, p. 128, fig. 1, as Three Bathers, dated 1879–82.Bardazzi 2007b
Bardazzi, Francesca, ed. Cézanne in Florence: Two Collectors and the 1910 Exhibition of Impressionism. Translated by John Venerella. Milan: Mondadori Electa, 2007. Exhibition catalogue, p. 161, ill., as Trois baigneuses.D'Souza 2008
D'Souza, Aruna. Cézanne's Bathers. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2008, pl. 1, ill.Machotka 2008
Machotka, Pavel. Cézanne: The Eye and the Mind, 2 vols. Marseille: Editions Crès, 2008, vol. 1, fig. 83; vol. 2, p. 76, as Trois baigneuses.Bois 2009
Bois, Yve-Alain. "Cézanne and Matisse: From Apprenticeship to Creative Misreading." In Cézanne and Beyond. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art; New Haven: In association with Yale University Press, 2009. Exhibition catalogue, p. 103, ill. and p. 123, pl. 10, pp. 121, 125 (details), as Three Bathers, dated 1879–82.Kaiser 2009
Kaiser, Franz-W. "Over 'beïnvloeding' in de beeldende kunst." In Cézanne, Picasso, Mondriaan: in nieuw perspectief. Zwolle: Waanders, 2009. Exhibition catalogue, fig. 1, as Trois baigneuses.Roquebert 2009a
Roquebert, Anne. "De Cézanne à Picasso: Chez Vollard." In Picasso, Cézanne. Aix-en-Provence: Musée Granet, 2009. Exhibition catalogue, p. 34, fig. 4, as Trois baigneuses.Shiff 2009a
Shiff, Richard. "Lucky Cézanne (Cézanne Tychique)." In Cézanne and Beyond. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009. Exhibition catalogue, p. 72, ill., p. 123, pl. 10, as Three Bathers, dated 1879–82.Roquebert 2009b
Roquebert, Anne. "Van Cézanne naar Picasso: Ambroise Vollard." In Cézanne, Picasso, Mondriaan: in nieuw perspectief. Zwolle: Waanders, 2009. Exhibition catalogue, fig. 4, as Trois baigneuses.Coutagne 2011b
Coutagne, Denis. "Le Femme exposée." In Cézanne et Paris. Paris: Éditions de la Rmn-Grand Palais, 2011. Exhibition catalogue, p. 95, ill., as Trois baigneuses.Coutagne 2011d
Coutagne, Denis. Cézanne abstraction faite. Paris: Les Editions du Cerf, 2011, p. 188, fig. 129.Rishel 2012a
Rishel, Joseph J. "Introduction." In Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse: Visions of Arcadia. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2012. Exhibition catalogue, p. 2, fig. 2, as Three Bathers, dated 1879–82.Colrat 2013
Colrat, Jean. Cézanne: Joindre les mains errantes de la nature. Paris-Sorbonne: PUPS, 2013, p. 170, pl. 65.Machotka 2014
Machotka, Pavel. Cézanne: Landscape into Art. Prague: Arbor Vitae, 2014, p. 84, fig. 22, as Trois baigneuses.Lloyd 2015
Lloyd, Christopher. Paul Cézanne, Drawings and Watercolors. London and Los Angeles: Thames & Hudson and John Paul Getty Museum, 2015, p. 170, fig. 116, dated 1879–82.Pola Museum of Art 2015
Cézanne: Pioneer of Modern Art. Kanagawa: Pola Museum of Art, Pola Art Foundation, 2015. Exhibition catalogue, p. 118, fig. 22.Grammont 2017
Grammont, Claudine. "Les Cézanne de Matisse, 1865–1881." In Paul Cezanne, Le chant de la terre. Martigny: Fondation Pierre Gianadda, 2017. Exhibition catalogue, p. 77, fig. 1.Dombrowski, Ireson and Patry 2021
Dombrowski, André, Nancy Ireson, and Sylvie Patry, eds. Cézanne in the Barnes Foundation. New York: Rizzoli Electa in association with The Barnes Foundation, 2021, p. 101, fig. 3, as Three Bathers.Nagaï 2022a
Nagaï, Takanori. Truth in Panting: The Meaning of Cezanne's Practices for Modernizing Society. Tokyo: Sangesha Publishers Inc., 2022, pl. 45.Notes
This painting is related to [Trois baigneuses, 1876–77 (922)]. Several drawings are also connected to the work (FWN 3003-08a and FWN 3003-08b). Like the preceding entry, the standing figure at left recurs in a number of compositions of female bathers.
Henri Matisse first saw this canvas at Ambroise Vollard's rue Laffitte gallery in December 1899. He bought the painting in several payments at great financial sacrifice and revered it throughout his life. While teaching art at his Académie Matisse in Paris the painter would at times become emotional in front of this work. One of his students recalled: "With great modesty and deep inner pride, he showed us his painting Bathers by Cézanne. His silence before it was ore evocative and eloquent than words. A spirit of elation and aw pervaded the studio at such times." (Max Weber, "Cézanne and the Crisis of Art," in A. Barr, Matisse: His Art and Public, 1951, p. 87)
He is famously quoted as saying: "If you only knew the moral strength, the encouragement that his remarkable example gave me all my life! In moments of doubt, when I was still searching for myself, frightened sometimes by my discoveries, I thought: 'If Cézanne is right, I am right'; because I knew that Cézanne made no mistake." (H. Matisse interview with Jacques Guenne, 1925, reprinted in Flam, Matisse on Art, 1995, p. 80)
Related work
Record last updated March 19, 2021. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Société Paul Cezanne. "Trois baigneuses, 1876–77 (FWN 923)." In The Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings of Paul Cezanne: An Online Catalogue Raisonné. www.cezannecatalogue.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=356 (accessed on April 24, 2024).
