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Catalogue entry

© Christie’s Images Limited
FWN 607
La Conversation
1870–71
Alternate titles: Dames en crinoline; Die Schwestern; Die zwei Schwestern; Les deux soeurs; Les deux soeurs de Cezanne (Mlle Cezanne, Mme Conil née Cezanne, M.M. Abram et Valabregue) or La conversation; Les deux sœurs ou La conversation; Les soeurs de Cézanne; Portrait de Mlle Cézanne et Mme Cornil [sic]; Portraits de Mlle Cézanne, Mme Conil, Mm Abram et Valabrègue; The conversation; The Two Sisters
Rewald (152): 1870–71; Venturi revised: c.1871; Venturi (120): 1870–71; Rivière: 1875
Oil on canvas
36 3/16 x 28 11/16 in. (92 x 73 cm)
Christie's, New York

Keywords

Provenance
Jas de Bouffan, Aix-en-Provence;
Louis Granel, Aix-en-Provence
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (Sept. 18, 1912)
[Knoedler Galleries, Paris and New York, January 15, 1916]
Robert Treat Paine, Boston
Knoedler Galleries, New York (1917)
Stephan Bourgeois Gallery, New York (1918)
Walther Halvorsen, Oslo
Nielsen, Oslo, and Galerie Thannhauser, Lucerne (March 6, 1926)
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (March 30, 1926);
Private collection, Paris
Christie's, London, June 20, 2018, no. 24
Private collection;
Christie's, New York, May 11, 2023, no. 68A
Exhibition History
1914a Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Paul Cézanne, January 6–17, 1914, no. 9, as Les soeurs de Cézanne, for sale.
1915 Zurich
Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, Ausstellung: Französische Kunst, January 20–February 17, 1915, no. 10, as Les deux soeurs.
1915 Basel
Kunsthalle, Basel, Switzerland, Französische Klassiker des 19. Jahrhunderts, May 2–30, 1915, no. 58, as Les deux soeurs.
1916c New York
Knoedler Galleries, New York, Paintings by Contemporary French Artists, January 5–29, 1916, no. 12, as The Two Sisters.
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. 51, as Les deux soeurs, lent by Bernheim-Jeune; shown in an installation photo in Dauberville, 2020, p. 117.
1927c Berlin
Galerie Thannhauser, Vereinshaus der Berliner Künstler, Berlin, Erste Sonderausstellung in Berlin, January 9–mid-February, 1927, no. 12, ill., as Die zwei Schwestern, lent by Bernheim-Jeune.
1930a Paris
Galerie Pigalle, Paris, Exposition Cèzanne, 1839–1906, January 4–February 7, 1930, no. 1, ill., as Les deux soeurs, 1870, lent by Bernheim-Jeune.
1934f Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Cents ans de portraits français (1800–1900), October 15–November 12, 1934, no. 18, ill.
1935c Paris
Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Quelques tableaux d'Ingres à Gauguin, June 11–July 13, 1935, no. 4, ill., as Les deux soeurs.
1936 Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Portraits de femmes et enfants, April 14–May 8, 1936, no. 6, as Portrait de Mlle Cézanne et Mme Cornil [sic].
1948 Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, La femme, 1800–1930, April–June 1948, no. 15, ill., as La Conversation.
1953c Paris
Orangerie, Paris, Monticelli et le baroque provençal, June 19–September 15, 1953, no. 12, as Les deux sœurs ou La conversation, c. 1870-71, lent by Bernheim-Jeune, Paris.
1960 Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune-Dauberville, Paris, Cézanne – Aquarelliste et Peintre, May–July 1960, no. 27, as Les deux sœurs ou La conversation, 1870-71.
1962d Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Cent ans de portrait, 1860–1960, May–July 1962, no. 12, as Les deux soeurs, "de gauche à droite: Rose – Madame Maxime Conil – et Marie Cézanne, soeurs de l'artiste, Antony Valabrègue et Antoine Marion, deux amis".
1962e Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Sur le thème idole, Les Parfums Lubin exposent...., December 6–8, 1962, no. 9, as Les deux sœurs ou La conversation.
1963 Schaffhausen
Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Die Welt des Impressionismus, June 29–September 29, 1963, no. 4, ill., as Die zwei Schwestern, 1870-1871, lent by Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris.
1965a Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, L'Art et la mode, Au profit de l'Orphelinat des Arts, June–July 1965, no. 6, as Les deux soeurs.
1971 Paris
Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, Aquarelles de Cézanne: au profit de la fondation des journalistes, January 12–March 13, 1971, no. 24.
2012–13 Paris and traveling
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Impressionnisme et la mode [English translation: Impressionism, Fashion & Modernity], September 25, 2012–January 20, 2013, no. 26, ill., as La Conversation, shown with original fashion plate, lent by Private collection, courtesy Galerie Bernheim-Jeune. Traveled to: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, February 26–May 27, 2013; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, June 26–September 22, 2013.
2017 Martigny
Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, Switzerland, Paul Cézanne: le chant de la terre, June 16–November 19, 2017, no. 79, ill. lent by Private collection.
2022–23 Chicago and traveling
The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Cezanne, May 15–September 5, 2022, no. 6, ill. Private collection; shown in Chicago only. Traveled to: Tate Moderrn, London, October 6, 2022–March 12, 2023.
Published References
Denis 1914
Denis, Maurice. "Cézanne: I [and] II." Kunst und Künstler 12, no. 4 and no. 5 (1914), ill. p. 282.
Cortissoz 1916
Cortissoz, Royal. "Paul Cézanne and the Cult for His Paintings." New York Tribune, January 9, 1916, ill.
McBride 1916b
[McBride, Henry]. "What's Happening in the World of Art." The Sun (New York), January 9, 1916, ill. p. [8] (fifth section), as The Two Sisters.
New York Times Magazine 1916a
"French Pictures at Knoedler's." New York Times Magazine (Jan. 9, 1916), pp. 21-22, as The Two Sisters.
Coquiot 1917
Coquiot, Gustave. "Paul Cézanne." Le Carnet des artistes: art ancien, art moderne, arts appliqués, no. 9 (1917), ill. p. 9.
Meier-Graefe 1918a
Meier-Graefe, Julius. Cézanne und sein Kreis: ein Beitrag zur Entwicklungsgeschichte: mit 127 Tonätzungen und fünfzehn Heliogravüren. Munich: R. Piper, 1918, ill. p. 91.
Klingen 1919
"Breve fra Paul Cézanne." Klingen vol. 3, no. 9 (1919–20), ill.
Maestri Moderni 1920
Maestri Moderni. I, Cézanne. Rome: La Voce, 1920, ill.
Gasquet 1921b
Gasquet, Joachim. Cézanne. Paris: Les Editions Bernheim-Jeune, 1921, p. 22, pl. p. 22, as ...dans une toile qu'il fit de ses sœurs ...
Janneau 1921a
J.[anneau], G.[uillaume]. "Impressions d'Amérique: M. Bénédite nous conte son voyage." Le Bulletin de la vie artistique 2, no. 8 (April 15, 1921), ill. p. 239.
Meier-Graefe 1922
Meier-Graefe, Julius. Cézanne und sein Kreis: ein Beitrag zur Entwicklungsgeschichte: mit 171 Tonätzungen und einem Lichtdruck. Munich: R. Piper, 1922, ill. p. 103, as Die Schwestern, 1870.
Wedderkop 1922b
Wedderkop, Harro von. Paul Cézanne. Leipzig: Klinkhardt und Biermann, 1922, ill.
Klingsor 1923
Klingsor, Tristan L. Cézanne. Paris: Rieder, 1923, pl. 2, as Portraits de Mlle Cézanne, Mme Conil, Mm Abram et Valabrègue.
Rivière 1923
Rivière, Georges. Le Maître Paul Cézanne. Paris: Librairie Floury, 1923, p. 201, listed, ill. opp. p. 34, as La Conversation, dated 1875, Pellerin.
Arishima 1925
Arishima, Ikuma. Sezannu [Cézanne]. Tokyo: Ars, 1925, pl. 17.
Cortissoz 1925
Cortissoz, Royal. Personalities in Art. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1925, p. 299.
Gasquet 1926
Gasquet, Joachim. Cézanne. Paris: Les Editions Bernheim-Jeune, 1926, p. 36, pl. [6] hors texte, as ...dans une toile qu'il fit de ses sœurs ...
Vauxcelles 1926
Vauxcelles, Louis. "A propos de Cézanne [Hommage à Paul Cézanne]." L'Art vivant (Paris), no. 37 (July 1, 1926), p. 484, ill., as Dames en crinoline.
Dormoy 1926a
Dormoy, Marie, translated by Margarete Mauthner. "Die Cézanne - Ausstellung bei Bernheim-Jeune." Kunst und Künstler 24, no. 11 (1926), p. 449.
Osborn 1927
Osborn, Max. "Klassiker der französischen Moderne: Die Galerien Thannhauser im Berliner Künstlerhaus." Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration 59 (October 1926-March 1927), ill. p. 334, as Die zwei Schwestern.
Scheffler 1927
Sch.[effler], K.[arl]. "Kunstausstellungen: Berlin." Kunst und Künstler 25, no. 6 (1927), ill. p. 225.
Meier-Graefe 1927a
Meier-Graefe, Julius. Cézanne. translated by J. Holroyd-Reece. London: Ernest Benn, 1927, pl. VI.
Meier-Graefe 1927b
Meier-Graefe, Julius. "Die Franzosen in Berlin." Der Cicerone 19, no. 2 (January 1927), pp. 43-44.
Charensol 1930
Charensol, Georges. "Cézanne à la galerie Pigalle." L'Art vivant (Paris), no. 124 (February 15, 1930), p. 181, ill.
D'Ors 1930
Ors, Eugenio d.' Paul Cézanne. Paris: Editions des Chroniques du Jour, 1930, pl. 31.
Dormoy 1930
Dormoy, Marie. "Die Cézanne—Ausstellung im Théâtre Pigalle." Kunst und Künstler 28, no. 6 (1930), p. 248.
Neugass 1930
Neugass, Fritz. "Paul Cézanne." Der Cicerone 22 , no. 4 (1930), pp. 106-107, c. 1870.
Rivière 1933
Rivière, Georges. Cézanne: Le Peintre solitaire. Paris: Librairie Floury, 1933, p. 51, ill.
Kahn 1934
Kahn, Gustave. "Art: Cent ans de portraits français: Galerie Bernheim Jeune." Mercure de France (November 15, 1934), p. 168.
René-Jean 1934
René-Jean. "Cent ans de portraits français 1800-1900." Comoedia (Paris), October 17, 1934, p. 2, as La Conversation.
Mack 1935
Mack, Gerstle. Paul Cézanne. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1935, fig. 6.
Di San Lazzaro 1936
Di San Lazzaro, Gualtieri. Paul Cézanne. Paris: Chroniques du Jour, 1936, fig. 44.
Raynal 1936
Raynal, Maurice. Cézanne. Paris: Editions de Cluny, 1936, pl. X p. 37.
D'Ors 1936a
Ors, Eugenio d.' Paul Cézanne. New York: E. Weyhe, 1936, pl. 44.
Venturi 1936b
Venturi, Lionello. Cézanne: Son Art, Son Oeuvre. Paris: Editions Paul Rosenberg, 1936, no. 120, ill. vol. II, as La Conversation.
Rewald 1936c
Rewald, John. "Sources d'inspiration de Cézanne." L'Amour de l'art 17, no. 5 (May 1936), fig. 98 p. 192, as La Conversation, c. 1865.
Rewald 1936e
Rewald, John. Cézanne et Zola. Paris: Editions A. Sedrowski, 1936, fig. 98.
Francastel 1937
Francastel, Pierre. L'impressionnisme: Les origines de la peinture moderne de Monet à Gauguin. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 1937, fig. 14, as Les deux soeurs, private collection.
Wilenski 1940
Wilenski, R.H. Modern French Painters. New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1940, fig. 7.
Rivière 1942
Rivière, Georges. Cézanne: Le Peintre solitaire. Paris: Librairie Floury, 1942, p. 51, ill.
Dorival 1948
Dorival, Bernard. Cézanne. Paris: Pierre Tisné, 1948, pl. IV, listed p. 175.
Beucken 1955
Beucken, Jean de. Un portrait de Cézanne. Paris: Gallimard, [1955], p. 272.
Murphy 1968
Murphy, Richard W. The World of Cézanne, 1839–1906. New York: Time-Life Books, 1968, p. 41.
Roskill 1970a
Roskill, Mark W. "Early Impressionism and the Fashion Print." The Burlington Magazine 112, no. 807 (June 1970), p. 392, note 2.
Roskill 1971
Roskill, Mark W. "Early Impressionism and the Fashion Print." The Burlington Magazine 113, no. 814 (January 1971), p. 46.
Schapiro 1973
Schapiro, Meyer. Paul Cézanne. Translated by Louis-Marie Ollivier. Paris: Nouvelles Editions Françaises, 1973, p. 56, ill.
Elgar 1975
Elgar, Frank. Cézanne. New York: Praeger, 1975, fig. 11.
Venturi 1978
Venturi, Lionello. Cézanne. Geneva: Skira, 1978, p. 50, ill.
Barskaya 1983a
Barskaya, Anna and Evgenia Georgievskaia. Paul Cézanne: Bilder aus Museen der Sowjetunion. Leningrad: Aurora Art Publishers, 1983, ill. p. 126.
Lévêque 1988
Lévêque, Jean Jacques. La Vie et l'oeuvre de Paul Cézanne. Courbevoie: ACR, 1988, p. 54, ill. in b/w.
Rewald 1989
Rewald, John. Cézanne and America: Dealers, Collectors, Artists and Critics, 1891–1921. Princeton: Princeton University Press; London: Thames & Hudson, 1989, p. 301, fig. 151.
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. 152, ill. vol. 2, as La Conversation.
Dombrowski 2006
Dombrowski, André. "The emperor's last clothes: Cézanne, fashion and 'l'année terrible.'" The Burlington Magazine 148, no. 1242 (September 2006), fig. 6, as The conversation, c. 1871, with photograph of color plate from La Mode illustrée.
Dombrowski 2013
Dombrowski, André. Cézanne, Murder, and Modern Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013, pl. 14a.
Gottlieb 2013
Gottlieb, Lennart. Modernism: Reinventing Painting, 1908–41. Aarhus: ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, 2012. Exhibition catalogue, p. 180, fig. 121.
Kitschen 2015
Kitschen, Friederike. "Auf der dunklen Seite der Moderne." Review of Cézanne, Murder, and Modern Life. Kunstchronik 68, no. 2 (February 2015), p. 86.
Dauberville 2020
Dauberville, Guy-Patrice, and Floriane Dauberville. Paul Cezanne chez Bernheim-Jeune. Paris: Editions G-P.F. Dauberville & Archives Bernheim-Jeune, 2020, no. 160, ill., as Les deux soeurs de Cezanne (Mlle Cezanne, Mme Conil née Cezanne, M.M. Abram et Valabregue) or La conversation, installation photographs from their exhibitions: 1926, p. 117; 1934, p. 129; 1936, p. 137.
Notes

This work was inspired by a fashion plate from La Mode illustré, dated July 31, 1870.

The female figures represented are said to be Cezanne's two sisters, Marie (born 1841) and Rose (b. 1854); the male figures Antony Valabrègue (b. 1844) and his cousin Benjamin Abram (b. 1851).

La Conversation, 1870–71 (FWN 607). Adéle-Anaïs Toudouze, La Mode Illustrée, July 31, 1870
Adéle-Anaïs Toudouze, La Mode Illustrée, July 31, 1870
Record last updated May 12, 2023. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Société Paul Cezanne. "La Conversation, 1870–71 (FWN 607)." In The Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings of Paul Cezanne: An Online Catalogue Raisonné. www.cezannecatalogue.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=160 (accessed on April 26, 2024).