The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 20, 2025
Nymphéa
1922–23
(French, 1857–1927)
Image: 22.2 x 17.6 cm (8 3/4 x 6 15/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.)
Location: Not on view
Description
A prolific Parisian artist who enjoyed a three-decade career, Atget was one of the most important and original photographers active at the beginning of the 20th century. This sparkling landscape of a mass of white water lily blossoms (Nymphéa) is among Atget's best compositions, created in the 1920s, when he was at the height of his artistic prowess. This scene, full of luxurious botany, was probably taken in Bagatelle Park at the edge of Paris's Bois de Boulogne. He carefully focused on the floating plants and their sculptured flowers, detailing texture and shape. The early morning illumination created light and shadow patterns that enabled Atget to isolate flat, abstracted forms while simultaneously depicting a deep pictorial space. In this lush, purplish print, the lily pond shimmers with reflected shadows and brilliant highlights.- David Tunick, New York, NYSeptember 3, 2002The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Drawn with Light: Pioneering French Photography from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 26-June 16, 2005).Cleveland, Ohio: The Cleveland Museum of Art; February 26 - June 16, 2005 . "Drawn with Light: Pioneering French Photography from the Cleveland Museum of Art".
- {{cite web|title=Nymphéa|url=false|author=Eugène Atget|year=1922–23|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2002.69