The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 14, 2026

Vertically oriented oil painting with overlaid green, blue, and mustard yellow blobs of paint across the upper half that become streaks and drizzles down the bottom half. Scarlet strokes swirl horizontally across the center of the canvas. Occasional gaps show unpainted canvas, especially on the lower edge.

Gouise

1966

Joan Mitchell

(American, 1925–1992)
America
oil on canvas
Unframed: 194.6 x 113.7 cm (76 5/8 x 44 3/4 in.)
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.172
© Estate of Joan Mitchell
Location: 227 Abstract Expressionism

Did You Know?

Mitchell’s beloved dogs were the only visitors permitted in her studio while she painted.

Description

Named after a picturesque village in central France where Mitchell made a summertime visit, Gouise is an exuberant celebration of nature. Featuring vibrant colors, swirling forms, and lush textures, its large abstract composition evokes a sunlit garden in dazzling bloom. Rather than copy a specific scene, the artist rendered the rural landscape filtered through memory and sensation.
  • 1966-1974
    Collection of the Artist
    1973-2004
    Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Goldsmith, Pittsburgh, PA, 1973, purchased through the Martha Jackson Gallery, New York, NY
    2004
    (Sotheby’s, New York, Contemporary Art, November 10, 2004, no. 144, sold to Private Collection)
    2004-2011
    Private Collection, consigned to Phillips de Pury and Company, New York, NY
    2011
    (Phillips de Pury and Company, New York, NY, Contemporary Art Part I, May 12, 2011, no. 33)
    2011
    (Alexandre Fine Art, Inc., New York, NY)
    2011-2020
    Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2020-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Brown, Heather Lemonedes, ed. The Keithley Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, exh. cat.(Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2022) Mentioned PP. 168, 267; Reproduced PP. 169.
    “A Historic Gift. Longtime CMA supporters Joseph and Nancy Keithley give 114 works, the largest gift in more than 60 years.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 60, no. 3 (Summer 2020): Cover, 6-9. Reproduced: Cover, p. 9; Mentioned: P. 9.
    Roberts, Sarah. "Joan Mitchell." In The Keithley Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, edited by Heather Lemonedes Brown, 168-181. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2022. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 168-169; Mentioned: p. 267-268
  • Impressionism to Modernism: The Keithley Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 11, 2022-January 8, 2023).
    Art in Residence. Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA ( October 1973 – January 1974).
  • {{cite web|title=Gouise|url=false|author=Joan Mitchell|year=1966|access-date=14 February 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.172