The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Caricature of Paul Gauguin

1889

Émile Bernard

(French, 1868–1941)
France, 19th century
watercolor and black ink on paper
Sheet: 19.9 x 15.5 cm (7 13/16 x 6 1/8 in.)
Bequest of William Kelly Simpson in memory of his wife Marilyn M. Simpson and her grandfather, John D. Rockefeller Jr. 2018.75
Location: Not on view

Description

Émile Bernard worked closely with Paul Gauguin in the village of Pont-Aven during the late 1880s, adopting a new style that emphasized imagination rather than observed reality. This caricatural portrait dates to their most intense period of collaboration, and shows Gauguin as the leader of a new school of painting, seated regally and holding a walking stick that resembles a scepter.
  • 1974
    (Christie's, London, July 5, 1974, no. 285)
    1976
    (Sotheby's, London, April 8, 1976, no. 279, sold to Dr. Anton C.R. Dreesmann, Amsterdam)
    1976-2002
    Dr. Anton C.R. Dreesmann [1923-2000], Amsterdam
    2002
    (Christie's, London, Dreesmann sale, April 9, 2002, no. 38, sold to William Kelly SImpson, Katonah, NY)
    2002-2018
    William Kelly Simpson [1928-2017], Katonah, NY, by bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    2018-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lemonedes, Heather, Belinda Thomson, Agnieszka Juszczak. Paul Gauguin: the Breakthrough into Modernity. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz, 2009. Mentioned: pp. 177, 238; Reproduced: p. 178, cat. 102,
    Jaulme, André and Henri Moncel. Cinquantenaire du symbolisme, exposition de manuscrits autographes, estampes, peintures, sculptures, éditions rares, portraits, objets d’art. Paris: Bibliothèque nationale de France, 1936
    Sotheby's, London. Impressionist and Modern Paintings, Drawings, Watercolours and Sculpture. April 8, 1976. Lot 279. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 77, no. 279
    Christie's, London. The Dr Anton C.R. Dreesmann Collection: Impressionist & Modern Art. April 9, 2002. Lot 38. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 49, no. 38
  • Paul Gauguin: Paris, 1889. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 4, 2009-January 18, 2010); Van Gogh Museum, 1070 AJ Amsterdam, Netherlands (February 18-June 6, 2010).
    Cinquantenaire du Symbolisme. Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris (1936).
  • {{cite web|title=Caricature of Paul Gauguin|url=false|author=Émile Bernard|year=1889|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.75