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Invoice from Durand-Ruel Corp., New York, to Robert Sterling Clark, for purchase of one painting. Dated 3 May 1926.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

French, 1841–1919

Blonde Bather

1881

Renoir painted this work while traveling in Italy; the model is probably Aline Charigot, who later became his wife. The simplicity of the composition gives the nude a monumental presence that suggests a timeless image of womanhood. Renoir was inspired in this approach by the ancient Roman and Italian Renaissance art he saw on his trip, which he described as representing “eternal beauty.”

Medium oil on canvas
Dimensions 32 1/8 x 25 3/4 in. (81.6 x 65.4 cm) Frame: 41 7/8 x 35 5/8 x 4 1/2 in. (106.4 x 90.5 x 11.4 cm)
Object Number 1955.609
Acquisition Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955
Status On View

Image Caption

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Blonde Bather, 1881, oil on canvas. Clark Art Institute, 1955.609

Select Bibliography

Bailey, Colin B. and Christopher Riopelle ed. Renoir's Landscape 1861-1883. The National Gallery, London, February 21- May 20, 2007; National Gallery of Canada, June 8- September 9, 2007; Philadelphia Museum of Art, September 30, 2007- January 6, 2008. London: National Gallery Company Limited. 2007. Néret, Gilles. Renoir: Painter of Happiness 18411919. Cologne: Taschen GmbH, 2001. Conforti, Michael, et al. The Clark Brothers Collect: Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings. Exhibition catalogue. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute; New Haven: distributed by Yale University Press, 2006. Durand-Ruel. A Selection from the Pictures by Boudin, Cézanne, Degas, Manet, Monet, Morisot, Pissarro, Renoir, and Sisley. Exhibition catalogue. Paris: Durand-Ruel, 1905. Zürich: Kunsthaus.. Franzosische Kunst des XIX und XX Jahrhunderts.. Nov. 5-14, 1917.. Paris: Galerie Durand-Ruel.. Exposition Renoir.. Nov. 29-Dec. 18, 1920.. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.. Exhibit Six: Impressionist Paintings.. Opened Sept. 18, 1956.. Wildenstein & Company. An Exhibition of Treasures from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts: Paintings, drawings & rare silver, for the benefit of the Committee to Rescue Italian Art, inc. (CRIA). Exhibition catalogue. New York: Wildenstein & Company, 1967. London: Hayward Gallery (Arts Council of Great Britain).. Renoir. Jan. 30-April 21, 1985; Grand Palais, Paris, May 14-Sept. 2, 1985; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Oct. 9, 1985-Jan. 5, 1986. Catalogue by John House. Nagoya (Japan): Nagoya City Art Museum.. Renoir Retrospective. Nagoya City Art Museum, Oct. 15-Dec. 11, 1988; Hiroshima Museum of Art, Dec. 17, 1988-Feb. 12, 1989; Nara Prefectural Museum of Art, Feb. 18-April 9, 1989. Philadelphia Museum of Art.. Renoir's Large Bathers. Sept. 9-Nov. 25, 1990.. 1990.. Kern, Steven, et al. A Passion for Renoir: Sterling and Francine Clark Collect, 19161951. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., in association with the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1996 Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1970. . "Une collection de tableaux modernes.". vol. 17.. Gazette des Beaux-Arts.. (Jan.-June 1897.):pp. 73-80.. Julius Meier-Graefe.. Auguste Renoir.. Paris.. 1912.. C. L. Borgmeyer.. "The Master Impressionists.". Fine Arts Journal.. 1913-14.. Henri de Regnier.. Renoir, Paintre du Nu.. Paris: Ed. Bernheim-Jeune.. 1923.. Julius Meier-Graefe.. Renoir.. Leipzig: Klinkhardt & Biermann.. 1929.. Lionello Venturi.. Les archives de l'impressionnisme.. Paris, New York: Durand-Ruel.. 1939.. R. H. Wilenski.. Modern French Painters.. New York.. 1940.. Michel Drucker.. Renoir.. Paris: Ed. Pierre Tisné.. 1944.. Lionello Venturi.. Impressionists and Symbolists.. New York.. 1950.. de Kooning, Elaine. "Renoir: as if by Magic." Art News 55 (Oct. 1956) :pp. 43-45, 66-67. S. Lane Faison, Jr.. Guide to Art Museums of New England.. Hew York: Harcourt Brace.. 1958.. Spaeth, Eloise. American Art Museums and Galleries: An Introduction to Looking. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960. H. Perrichot.. La vie de Renoir.. Paris.. 1964..

Anonymous. Art News 67, no. 9 (Special Edition: Impressionism, January 1969): cover.

Soichi Tominaga.. L'Art moderne du Monde, vol. 4, Renoir.. Tokyo: Zauho Press.. 1969.. Barbara Ehrlich White.. "Renoir's Trip to Italy.". Art Bulletin, 51:4.. (Dec. 1969).:pp. 333-351.. Pierre Cabanne.. Renoir.. Paris: Réalités-Hachette.. 1970.. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1970. . Génies et réalités: Renoir.. Paris: Réalités.. 1971.. Hess, Thomas and Linda Nochlin, eds. Woman as Sex Object: Studies in Erotic Art, 17301970. New York: Newsweek Books, 1972. . Les grands maîtres de la peinture moderne: Renoir.. Japan Art Center.. 1972.. Elda Fezzi.. L'opera complete di Renoir, nel periodo impressionista 1869-1883.. Milan: Rizzoli.. 1972.. Barbara Ehrlich White.. An Analysis of Renoir's Development from 1877-1887. Columbia Ph.D. diss. 1965.. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms.. 1972.. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1972. Jean Clay.. Impressionism, by the editors of Réalités, under the direction of Jean Clay, preface by Ren^e Huyghe.. New York: Putnam.. 1973.. John Rewald.. The History of Impressionism.. New York: Museum of Modern Art.. 1961, 1973.. Barbara Ehrlich White.. "The Bathers of 1887 and Renoir's Anti-Impressionism.". vol. 55.. The Art Bulletin.. (March 1973).:pp. 106-26.. Fratelli Fabri.. The Impressionists, vol. 6, Renoir. (Italian and Japanese).. Tokyo: Orion Press.. 1975.. Keith Wheldon.. Renoir and His Art.. London: Hamlyn Group.. 1975.. Tasuo Yoshikado, ed.. The Masterpieces by Great Masters of Modern Art, vol. 2, Renoir.. Tokyo: Gakken Co.. 1976.. Callen, Anthea. Renoir. London: Oresko Books. 1978. Kenneth Clark.. Feminine Beauty.. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.. 1980.. Diane Kelder.. The Great Book of French Impressionism.. New York: Cross River Press/Abbeville Press.. 1980.. Kelder, Diane. Le grand livre de l'impressionnisme français. Paris & Lausanne: Bibliothèque des Arts & Edita, 1981. Henry Fairlie.. "The Real Life of Women.". vol. 179.. The New Republic.. Aug. 26 & Sept. 2, 1978.:pp. 17-21.. White, Barbara Ehrlich. Renoir: His Life, Art, and Letters. New York: Abrams, 1984. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1984. Nicholas Wadley.. Renoir.. London: John Calmann & King.. 1987.. Denis Thomas.. The Age of the Impressionists.. Twickenham: Hamlyn Publishing.. 1987.. Sophie Monneret.. Renoir.. Paris: Editions Chêne.. 1989.. Glenn D. Lowry with Susan Nemazee.. A Jeweler's Eye: Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Coillection.. Washington (DC): Arthur M. Sackler Gallery/Univ. of Washington Press.. c. 1988. Patrick Bade.. Renoir. The Masterworks.. London: Studio Editions.. 1989.. Terence Grieder.. Artist and Audience.. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.. 1990.. Philadelphia Museum of Art.. Bulletin.. Sept. 1990.. Kern, Steven, ed. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1992. Distel, Anne. Renoir: "Il faut embellir". Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux & Découvertes Gallimard. 1993. Katsumi Mirazaki.. "Renoir: His Life and Works" (in Japanese).. Geijutsu Shincho.. Aug. 1993.. Otto G. Ocvirk, Robert O. Bone, Robert E. Stinson, Philip R. Wigg.. Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice.. Madison (WI): Brown & Benchmark.. 1994.. Art Exhibitions Australia.. Renoir: Master Impressionist. Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, July 30-Sept. 11, 1994; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Sept. 19-Oct. 30, 1994; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Nov, 6, 1994-Jan. 15, 1995. Cat. by John House. Richard R. Brettell.. Impressionist Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture from the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection.. Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art.. 1995.. Kern, Steven, et al. The Clark: Selections from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1996. Terence Grieder.. Artist and Audience. 2nd ed.. London: Calmann & King and Brown & Benchmark.. 1996.. Steven Kern.. "Der Mensch als Kriterium der Schönheit: Auguste Renoirs Stilistische Entwicklung anhand seiner Badenden.". Österreichische Galerie: Belvedere: Zeitschrift für bildende Kunst, 1/97.. (1997).:pp. 46-61.. Lorenz Eitner.. An Outline of 19th Century European Painting from David through Cézanne. 2 vol.. New York: Harper and Row.. 1988.. Tamar Garb.. Bodies of Modernity: Figure and Flesh in Fin-de-Siècle France.. London: Thames and Hudson.. 1998.. Sarah Grogan.. Body Image.. London: Routledge.. 1999.. Herbert, Robert L. Nature's Workshop: Renoir's Writings on the Decorative Arts. London: Yale University Press, 2000. Callen, Anthea. The Art of Impressionism: Painting Technique and the Making of Modernity. London: Yale University Press. 2000. Renoir, Louise. Renoir Paints His Family. Edmonton (Canada): The Renoir Foundation for the Arts. Mathews, Patricia. Passionate Discontent: Creativity and Gender in Late 19th-Century French Symbolism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Belinda Thomson. Impressionism: Origins, Practice, Reception (World of Art). London: Thames and Hudson. 2000. John Updike.. Just Looking: Essays on Art (paperback edition).. Boston: MFA Publications.. 2001.. Takao Okamura.. Shukan Bijutsukan.. Tokyo: Shogakukan.. January 30, 2001.. Bridgestone Museum of Art. Renoir: From Outsider to Old Master 1870-1892. Exhibition catalogue. Nagoya: The Chunichi Shimbun, 2001. Impressionist and Modern Art. May 7, 2001. New York: Phillips Auctioneers. 2001. François Daulte.. Auguste Renoir, Catalogue Raisonné de l'Oeuvre Peint.. Paris: Durand-Ruel.. 1971.. Lisboa, Maria Manuel. Paula Rego's Map of Memory: National and Sexual Politics. United Kingdom: Ashgate Publishing Limited. 2003:p. 156 figure 56. Benjamin, Roger. Renoir and Algeria. February 16-May 11, 2003; Dallas Museum of Art, June 8-August 31, 2003; Institut du Monde Arabe, October 6, 2003-January 18, 2004. Yale University Press and Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. 2003. Brettell, Richard R., and C. D. Dickerson III. From the Private Collections of Texas: European Art, Ancient to Modern. Fort Worth: Kimbell Art Museum; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009. House, John, and Martha Lucy. Renoir in the Barnes Foundation. New Haven: Yale University Press; Philadelphia: The Barnes Foundation, 2012. Lees, Sarah, ed. Nineteenth-Century European Paintings at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute; New Haven and London: distributed by Yale University Press, 2012. Ganz, James A. and Richard R. Brettell. Great French Paintings from the Clark: Barbizon through Impressionism. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Skira Rizzoli Publications; Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 2011. Melikian, Souren. "A Unique and Unforgettable Collection." International Herald Tribune, 16–17 September 2000.

EUROPEAN PAINTINGS CATALOGUE ENTRY

Provenance

The artist, to Henri Vever, Paris (1882–1897, his sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 1–2 Feb. 1897, no. 96, sold to Durand-Ruel); [Durand-Ruel, Paris and New York, 1897–1926, sold to Clark, 2 July 1926, as Baigneuse]; Robert Sterling Clark (1926–55); Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1955.

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