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Catalogue entry

FWN 601
Une lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola
1869–70
Alternate titles: Deux Hommes jouant aux cartes dans un interieur; Emile Zola Reasing to Paul Alexis; Im Atelier; Intérieur; Intérieur or La lecture de Paul Alexis chez Emile Zola; La lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola; Lecture chez Zola; Lecture d'un manuscrit d'Emile Zola; Paul Alexis liest Emile Zola vor; Paul Alexis reading at Zola's house; Portraits de Zola et d'Alexis se faisant la lecture; Two Men Playing Cards; Une lecture chez Zola
Rewald (150): 1869–70; Venturi revised: c.1870; Venturi (118): 1869–70; Rivière: 1868; Gowing: (London) c.1867–69; Ratcliffe: between September 1869 and July 1870
Oil on canvas
20 1/2 x 22 in. (52 x 56 cm)
Vollard archives: photo no. 325, Annotated by Cezanne's son: Une lecture chez Zola, 1873?
Private collection

Keywords

Provenance
Émile Zola, Médan;
Zola Collection, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, Mar. 9–13, 1903, no. 113
Jos. Hessel, Paris
Auguste Pellerin, Paris;
Jean-Victor Pellerin, Paris
Wildenstein Galleries, Paris, London, and New York
Private collection
Exhibition History
1907a Paris
Salon d'Automne, Grand Palais, Paris, Rétrospective d'oeuvres de Cézanne, October 1–22, 1907, no. 7, as Lecture d'un manuscrit d'Emile Zola, lent by Pellerin.
1926b Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Exposition rétrospective Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) au profit de la caisse du Monument Cézanne, June 1–30, 1926, no. 36, as Intérieur, Dauberville 2020 says that this is the work shown, but FWN 703 is clearly described in Gaboriaud 1926 as no. 36 in this exhibition.
1936d Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Cent ans de théâtre, music-hall et cirque, dix-neuvième siècle, May 25–July 13, 1936, no. 12, ill., as La lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola, lent by M. et Mme Pellerin.
1952–53 Paris
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, Emile Zola: exposition organisée pour le cinquantième anniversaire de sa mort, December 12, 1952–March 1, 1953, no. 53, pl. II, as Une lecture chez Zola, 1863-1864, lent by Private collection.
1972b New York
Wildenstein Galleries, New York, Faces from the World of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, November 2–December 9, 1972, no. 12, ill., as Emile Zola Reasing to Paul Alexis, 1869-70, Anonymous lender.
1974 Tokyo and traveling
National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Cézanne, March 30–May 19, 1974, no. 5. Traveled to: Municipal Museum, Kyoto, Japan, June 1–July 17, 1974; Cultural Center, Fukuoka, Japan, July 24–August 18, 1974.
1988–89a London and traveling
Royal Academy of Arts, London, Cézanne: The Early Years 1859–1872, April 22–August 21, 1988, no. 43, ill. Traveled to: Musée d'Orsay, Cézanne: les années de jeunesse 1859-1872, Paris, September 19, 1988–January 1, 1989; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., January 29–April 30, 1989.
1989 Basel
Kunstmuseum, Basel, Switzerland, Paul Cézanne: Die Badenden, September 10–December 10, 1989, no. 3, pl. 38, p. 64 (detail).
1993 Tübingen
Kunsthalle, Tübingen, Germany, Cézanne Gemälde, January 16–May 2, 1993, no. 5.
1995 London
Royal Academy of Arts, London, From Manet to Gauguin: Masterpieces from Swiss Private Collections, June 30–October 8, 1995, no. 2, ill.
1996 Aarau and traveling
Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Switzerland, Degas, Cézanne, Picasso: Meisterwerke aus Privatbesitz, January 28–March 17, 1996, listed p. 121, ill., as La lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola. Traveled to: Von der Heydt-Museum Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany, April 21–June 16, 1996; Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dresden, Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister, Dresden, Germany, July 8–September 15, 1996; Kunstforum Bank Austria, Wien, Austria, September 25–December 8, 1996; Fondation de l'Hermitage, Lausanne, Switzerland, January 24–April 27, 1997.
1999 Basel
Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland, Manet, Zola, Cézanne: Das Porträt des Modernen Literaten, February 6–June 21, 1999, no. 9, ill. in color, p. 19.
2000 Vienna and traveling
Kunstforum, Vienna, Cézanne: Vollendet unvollendet, January 20–April 25, 2000, no. 2, ill., as Une lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola. Traveled to: Kunsthaus, Zürich, May 5–August 13, 2000 (initially planned to end on July 30 the exhibition was extended until August 13).
2011–12 Paris
Musée du Luxembourg, Paris, Cézanne et Paris, October 12, 2011–February 26, 2012, no. 14, ill., p. 37, as Une lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola, lent by Private collection.
2012 Düsseldorf
Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany, El Greco und die Moderne, April 28–August 12, 2012, listed p. 405, ill. p. 166, as La lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola, 1869-1870, lent by Private collection, Switzerland.
2017 Basel
Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland, The Hidden Cézanne: From Sketchbook to Canvas, June 10–September 24, 2017, no. 55, ill.
Published References
Pératé 1907
Pératé, André. "Le Salon d'Automne." Gazette des beaux-arts, vol. 38, periode 3 (November, 1907), p. 388.
Lehel 1923
Lehel, Ferenc. Cézanne. Budapest: Amicus Kiadasa, 1923, ill.
Rivière 1923
Rivière, Georges. Le Maître Paul Cézanne. Paris: Librairie Floury, 1923, p. 198, listed.
Fry 1926
Fry, Roger. "Le développement de Cézanne." L'Amour de l'art 7, no. 12 (December 1926), ill. p. 401, as Deux Hommes jouant aux cartes dans un interieur.
Fry 1927a
Fry, Roger. Cézanne: A Study of His Development. New York: Macmillan, 1927, p. 25, fig. 12, pl. IX.
D'Ors 1930
Ors, Eugenio d.' Paul Cézanne. Paris: Editions des Chroniques du Jour, 1930, pl. 28.
Gasquet 1930b
Gasquet, Joachim. Cézanne. Berlin: B. Cassirer, 1930, ill. opp. p. 16, as Im Atelier.
Di San Lazzaro 1936
Di San Lazzaro, Gualtieri. Paul Cézanne. Paris: Chroniques du Jour, 1936, fig. 41.
Raynal 1936
Raynal, Maurice. Cézanne. Paris: Editions de Cluny, 1936, pl. VIII p. 35.
D'Ors 1936a
Ors, Eugenio d.' Paul Cézanne. New York: E. Weyhe, 1936, pl. 41.
Venturi 1936b
Venturi, Lionello. Cézanne: Son Art, Son Oeuvre. Paris: Editions Paul Rosenberg, 1936, no. 118, ill. vol. II, as Lecture chez Zola.
Rewald 1936e
Rewald, John. Cézanne et Zola. Paris: Editions A. Sedrowski, 1936, fig. 20.
Novotny 1937
Novotny, Fritz. Cézanne. Vienna: Phaidon, 1937, pl. 9.
Rewald 1937a
Rewald, John. "A propos du catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre de Paul Cézanne et de la chronologie de cette œuvre." La Renaissance (Paris), vol. 20, nos. 3-4 (March–April 1937), p. 54, as Portraits de Zola et d'Alexis se faisant la lecture.
Barnes and de Mazia 1939
Barnes, Albert C., and Violette de Mazia. The Art of Cézanne. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1939, no. 23, ill. p. 154 (analysis p. 309).
Rewald 1939c
Rewald, John. Cézanne, sa vie, son œuvre, son amitié pour Zola. Paris: Albin Michel, 1939, fig. 23.
Schildt 1946
Schildt, Göran. Cézanne. Stockholm: Wahlström & Widstrand, 1946, fig. 11.
Novotny 1947
Novotny, Fritz. Cézanne. London: Phaidon Press, 1947, pl. 10, as Lecture chez Zola, 1869-70.
Guerry 1950
Guerry, Liliane. Cézanne et l'expression de l'espace. Paris: Flammarion, 1950, pl. 6.
Fry 1952
Fry, Roger. Cézanne: A Study of his Developement. London: Hogarth Press, 1952, p. 25, pl. IX fig. 12, as Two Men Playing Cards.
Beucken 1955
Beucken, Jean de. Un portrait de Cézanne. Paris: Gallimard, [1955], p. 294.
Perruchot 1955
Perruchot, Henri. "Les Quinze Logis de Monsieur Cézanne." L'Oeil, no. 12 (Christmas 1955), p. 36, ill.
Badt 1956
Badt, Kurt. Die Kunst Cézannes. Munich: Prestel, 1956, pl. 25.
Adhémar 1960
Adhémar, Jean. "Le cabinet de travail de Zola." Gazette des beaux-arts, vol. 56, periode 6 (November 1960), p. 286, fig. 6 p. 286 et pp. 293 et 294 (no. 130).
Chappuis 1962
Chappuis, Adrien. Les dessins de Paul Cézanne au cabinet des estampes du Musée des beaux-arts de Bâle. Olten and Lausanne: Urs Graf, 1962, vol. 1, p. 56, fig. 24.
Reff 1963c
Reff, Theodore. "Cézanne Drawings." Review of Les dessins de Paul Cézanne au cabinet des estampes du Musée des beaux-arts de Bâle, by Adrien Chappuis. The Burlington Magazine 105, no. 725 (August 1963), p. 375.
Guerry 1966
Guerry, Liliane. Cézanne et l'expression de l'espace. Paris: Albin-Michel, 1966, pl. 6.
Andersen 1970
Andersen, Wayne V. Cézanne's Portrait Drawings. Cambridge, MA, London: MIT Press, 1970, p. 225, fig. 248a.
Pickvance and Takumi 1986
Pickvance, Ronald, and Hideo Takumi. Cézanne. Tokyo: Tokyo Shimbun, 1986. Exhibition catalogue, p. 30, ill. b/w.
Rewald 1986b
Rewald, John. Cézanne: A Biography. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1986, p. 49, ill.
Lewis 1989
Lewis, Mary Tompkins. Cézanne's Early Imagery. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989, p. 138, pl. VIII.
Naubert-Riser 1992
Naubert-Riser, Constance. Cézanne. London: Studio Editions, 1994, p. 13, ill. in b/w.
Verdi 1992
Verdi, Richard. Cézanne. London and New York: Thames & Hudson, 1992, p. 47, fig. 34.
Bonafoux 1995
Bonafoux, Pascal. Cézanne: portrait. Paris: Editions Hazan, 1995, p. 188, ill.
Patin 1995
Patin, Sylvie. Cézanne. Paris: Editions Hazan, 1995, p. 35.
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. 150, ill. vol. 2, as Une lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola.
Lewis 2002
Lewis, Mary Tompkins. "The Path to Les Lauves: A History of Cézanne's Studios." In Atelier Cézanne, 1902–2002: Le centenaire. Aix-en-Provence: Société Paul Cézanne, 2002, fig. 9, ill. in color.
Mori 2002
Mori, Gioia. "'La letteratura si esprime con astrazioni mentre il pittore concretizza.' Gli scrittori di Cézanne: Zola, Balzac e Flaubert." In Cézanne: Il padre dei moderni. Milan: Mazzotta, 2002. Exhibition catalogue, ill. p. 86.
Athanassoglou-Kallmyer 2003
Athanassoglou-Kallmyer, Nina M. Cézanne and Provence: The Painter in His Culture. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2003, p. 89, fig. 2.39, as Une lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola.
Athanassoglou-Kallmyer 2004
Athanassoglou-Kallmyer, Nina M. "Cézanne and His Friends at Jas de Bouffan." In Jas de Bouffan: Cézanne, Société Paul Cézanne. Aix-en-Provence: Hexagone, 2004, fig. 26, ill. in color.
Adriani 2005
Adriani, Götz. "Eine Moderne Olympia." In Bordell und Boudoir. Schauplätze der Moderne: Cézanne, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz, 2005. Exhibition catalogue, ill. p. 72, as Paul Alexis liest Emile Zola vor.
Farber 2006
Farber, Jules B. Autour de Cézanne. Sommières: Romain Pages, 2006, p. 29, ill. in color.
Mitterand 2011
Mitterand, Henri. "Une fraternité d'artistes: Cézanne et Zola." In Cézanne et Paris. Paris: Éditions de la Rmn-Grand Palais, 2011. Exhibition catalogue, p. 37, ill., as Une lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola.
Société Paul Cézanne 2011
Société Paul Cézanne. P. Cézanne: À Paris et en Île de France. ed., Denis Coutagne. Marseille: Éditions Crès, 2011, p. 11, ill., as Une lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola.
Colrat 2013
Colrat, Jean. Cézanne: Joindre les mains errantes de la nature. Paris-Sorbonne: PUPS, 2013, p. 308, pl. 140.
Dombrowski 2013
Dombrowski, André. Cézanne, Murder, and Modern Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013, pl. 10.
Jeancolas 2014
Jeancolas, Claude. Le Groupe des Batignolles, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Bazille, Cezanne, Monet, Morisot, Astruc, Zola…1865–1874. Paris: Editions FVW, 2014, p. 41, ill.
Verdi 2015
Verdi, Richard. "Rembrandt and Cézanne." The Burlington Magazine 157, no. 1350 (September 2015), fig. 24, as Paul Alexis reading at Zola's house, c. 1867-69.
Société Paul Cezanne 2019
Cezanne, Jas de Bouffan: art et histoire. Under the scientific direction of Denis Coutagne and François Chédeville. Lyon; Aix-en-Provence: Fage édition; Société Paul Cezanne, 2019, fig. 69 p. 84.
Dauberville 2020
Dauberville, Guy-Patrice, and Floriane Dauberville. Paul Cezanne chez Bernheim-Jeune. Paris: Editions G-P.F. Dauberville & Archives Bernheim-Jeune, 2020, no. 166, ill., as Intérieur or La lecture de Paul Alexis chez Emile Zola, installation photograph from 1936 exhibition, p. 135.
Clark 2022
Clark, T.J. If These Apples Should Fall, Cézanne and the Present. London and New York: Thames & Hudson, 2022, pl. 65.
Notes

The sitter at the left may not be Alexis, who was not known to Zola until September 1869. If it is not Alexis, the painting can be dated earlier as suggested by Adhémar and Reff. The title comes from the Zola sale catalogue and was presumably given by Zola's widow, even though Alexis seems to be the listener.  The inkwell can be seen in Manet's portrait of Zola (Musée d'Orsay) and the black clock on the mantlepiece is the same as in La Pendule noire, 1867–69 (708).

Related

Record last updated September 20, 2022. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Société Paul Cezanne. "Une lecture de Paul Alexis chez Zola, 1869–70 (FWN 601)." In The Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings of Paul Cezanne: An Online Catalogue Raisonné. www.cezannecatalogue.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=158 (accessed on April 26, 2024).