The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 5, 2023

Gouise

1966

Joan Mitchell

(American, 1925–1992)

America, 20th century

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

not on view

Fun Fact

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.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Verso, signed (twice), upper left: Mitchell

Provenance
1966-1974
Collection of the Artist
1974-2004
Henry Lea [1918-2017] and Elsie Hilliard [1925-2015] Hillman, Pittsburgh, PA, 1974, acquired directly from the artist
2004
Henry Lea [1918-2017] and Elsie Hilliard [1925-2015] Hillman, Pittsburgh, PA, consigned to Sotheby’s
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)
?-2020
Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
2020-
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
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.
Exhibition history

Art in Residence. Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA ( October 1973 – January 1974).

Impressionism to Modernism: The Keithley Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 11, 2022-January 8, 2023).

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