The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbre

1944

Max Ernst

(German, 1891–1976)
Germany, 20th century
oil on canvas
Framed: 87.3 x 171.1 x 5.7 cm (34 3/8 x 67 3/8 x 2 1/4 in.); Unframed: 68 x 150 cm (26 3/4 x 59 1/16 in.)
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 2002.55
© 1944 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ ADAGP, Paris
Location: 225 German Expressionism & Surrealism

Did You Know?

Scientific analysis of this painting shows that the black background was added last.

Description

This painting depicts the remains of a picnic on a cloth and a bottle of wine abandoned on the grass. Painted during World War II while the artist was in exile in the United States, the fish out of water has been seen as a symbol of suffering and the scene itself as a poisoned paradise. At the left Max Ernst painted a chalkboard, similar to daily specials in French restaurants. The text satirically alludes to Édouard Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass), 1863, a painting that shocked viewers when first exhibited but later became celebrated as an early example of modern art.
  • William N. Copley, New York, acquired from the artist (1948); (Sotheby, Parke-Bernet, NY, William N. Copley Collection, Nov. 5-6, 1979, no. 51.); (Sotheby, Parke-Bernet, NY, Julien Levy Collection, Nov. 5, 1979, no. 50. ??) Daniel Filipacchi, Paris/New York
  • Beyond Painting: And Other Writings. Translated by Dorothea Tanning and Ralph Manheim. New York: Wittenborn, Schultz, 1948. Reproduced: p. 97
    Schneede, Uwe M. Max Ernst. Translated by R. W. Last. New York: Praeger, 1972. Reproduced: p. 183, no. 357
    Max Ernst: A Retrospective. New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1975. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 198, no. 205
    Quinn, Edward. Max Ernst. Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1977. Reproduced: p. 241, no. 283
    Werner Spies, ed. Max Ernst: Retrospektive 1979: [Ausstellung, Haus Der Kunst MüNchen 17. Februar Bis 29. April 1979, Nationalgalerie Berlin 10. Mai Bis 15. Juli 1979]: Katalog. München: Prestel-Verlag, 1979. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 321, no. 274
    Gimferrer, Pere. Max Ernst. New York: Rizzoli, 1983. Mentioned: p. 126; Reproduced: no. 111
    Spies, Werner, Sigrid Metken, and Günter Metken. Max Ernst: Werke 1939-1953. Houston Texas, Köln: Menil Foundation; M. DuMont Schauberg, 1987. Mentioned: p. 82; Reproduced: no. 2459
    Werner Spies, ed. Max Ernst, a Retrospective. London: Tate Gallery in association with Prestel, 1991. Reproduced: p. 240, no. 212
    Derenthal, Ludger, and Jürgen Pech. Max Ernst. [Paris]: Nouvelles éditions françaises, 1992. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 211, ill. 348
    Turpin, Ian, and Julian Stallabrass. Ernst. 2nd ed., rev. and enl. London: Phaidon Books, 1993. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 106-107, no. 38
    Weisberger, Edward, and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Surrealism, Two Private Eyes: The Nesuhi Ertegun and Daniel Filipacchi Collections. New York, N.Y.: Guggenheim Museum: Hardcover edition distributed by Harry N. Abrams, 1999. Reproduced: p. 144-145, no. 84, Vol. I
    Cleveland Museum of Art, “Max Ernst Painting Featured Among Cleveland Museum of Art’s New Acquisitions,” June 25, 2002, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Robinson, William H., and Margaret Burgess. "Luncheon with Max." Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 43, no. 1 (January 2003): 4-5. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 4-5 archive.org
    Spies, Werner, Sabine Rewald, and Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). Max Ernst : A Retrospective. New York, New Haven: Metropolitan Museum of Art ; Yale University Press, 2005. Reproduced: p. 247, no. 143
    Russell, John. Max Ernst: Life and Work. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1967. Reproduced: no. 88; Mentioned: p. 347
  • 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).
    Max Ernst: A Retrospective. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (April 4-July 10, 2005).
    Surrealism: Two Private Eyes, The Nesuhi and Daniel Filipacchi Collections. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. (1999).
    Max Ernst. A Retrospective. Tate Gallery, London. (1991).
    Max Ernst: Retrospektive. Haus der Kunst, Munich. (1979).
    Max Ernst, A Retrospective. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris. (1975).
    Max Ernst. Galerie René Drouin, Paris, (1950).
    Max Ernst: Thirty Years of his Work, A Survey. Copley Galleries, Beverly Hills, CA. (January 10 - February 20, 1949).
    Max Ernst. Julien Levy Gallery, New York City. (April 24 - May 8, 1944).
  • {{cite web|title=Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbre|url=false|author=Max Ernst|year=1944|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2002.55