The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Self-Portrait

1912

William Orpen

(Irish, 1878–1931)
Ireland, 20th century
oil and collage on wood
Framed: 79.1 x 69 x 6 cm (31 1/8 x 27 3/16 x 2 3/8 in.); Unframed: 61 x 49.6 cm (24 x 19 1/2 in.)
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1988.11
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Orpen was a popular, commercially successful painter of portraits for the well-to-do in Edwardian society; Winston Churchill was among those whose portraits he painted. However, many of Orpen's most striking paintings are self-portraits.

Description

This unusual self-portrait by William Orpen, a modernist active in both Ireland and England, depicts the artist looking at himself in a mirror. Orpen portrays himself holding a rag, as if prepared to wipe out the image. Actual ferry tickets, “engaged seat” notices, a personal check, and a page from Orpen’s diary (referring to a trip to Dublin in June 1912) are glued to the surface of the picture. These “intruders” from real life are cleverly arranged to create the illusion of objects pasted or stuck to the mirror.
  • Oliver St. John Gogarty, Dublin; (Chapman Bros.); (Peter Nahum, London)
  • “The Year in Review for 1988.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 76, no. 2 (February 1989): 30–75. Reproduced: p. 44; Mentioned: p. 70, no. 92 www.jstor.org
  • Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Beijing World Art Museum (May 26-August 27, 2006); Mori Art Center (September 16-November 26, 2006); Seoul Art Center, South Korea (December 22, 2006-March 28, 2007); Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, South Korea (April 7-May 20, 2007); Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (June 9-September 16, 2007); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 15-June 1, 2008); Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (June 22-September 21, 2008); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (October 12, 2008-January 18, 2009).
    CMA (organizer). Beijing World Art Museum, China, May 26 - Aug. 27, 2006; Mori Arts Center, Tokyo, Japan: Sept. 9 - Nov. 26, 2006; Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, Korea: Dec. 18, 2006 - March 31, 2007; Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea: Apr. 7 - May 20, 2007; Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: June 9 - Sept. 16, 2007; Cleveland Museum of Art, Oct. 21, 2007- January 13, 2008; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN, Feb. 21-June 1, 2008; Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT, June 22 - September 21, 2008; and the Detroit Institute of Arts, MI, October 12, 2008 - January 18, 2009: "Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art"
    William Orpen: Politics, Sex and Death. Imperial War Museum, London (organizer) (January 27-April 12, 2005); National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin 2, Ireland (May 25-August 28, 2005).
    Imperial War Museum, London (1/27/2005 - 4/12/2005) and the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin (5/2005 - 8/2005): "William Orpen: Politics, Sex and Death," ex. cat. no. 31, p.91.
    The Year in Review for 1988. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 1-May 14, 1989).
  • {{cite web|title=Self-Portrait|url=false|author=William Orpen|year=1912|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1988.11