The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 28, 2023

Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbre

1944

Max Ernst

(German, 1891–1976)

Germany, 20th century

Oil on canvas

Framed: 87.3 x 171.1 x 5.7 cm (34 3/8 x 67 3/8 x 2 1/4 in.); Unframed: 68 x 150 cm (26 3/4 x 59 1/16 in.)

Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 2002.55

© 1944 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ ADAGP, Paris

Location

225 German Expressionism & Surrealism

Fun Fact

Scientific analysis of this painting shows that the black background was added last.

Description

A frightening fish isn't the only strange thing about this scene; it's also painted in an unusual way. To create more abstract areas in the center of the painting, Ernst lifted paint from the surface using perhaps a cloth or sheet of paper, allowing abstract patterns to form in the process. Called decalcomania, this method blots paint in ways that resemble plants and minerals. Elsewhere in the work, smoothly painted fish scales seem almost traditional by comparison.

Inscriptions

Inscription

signed and dated lower right: max ernst 44

Provenance
William N. Copley, New York, acquired from the artist (1948); (Sotheby, Parke-Bernet, NY, William N. Copley Collection, Nov. 5-6, 1979, no. 51.); (Sotheby, Parke-Bernet, NY, Julien Levy Collection, Nov. 5, 1979, no. 50. ??) Daniel Filipacchi, Paris/New York
Citations
Quinn, Edward. Max Ernst. Boston: New York Graphic Society, 1977. Reproduced: p. 241, no. 283
Cleveland Museum of Art, “Max Ernst Painting Featured Among Cleveland Museum of Art’s New Acquisitions,” June 25, 2002, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
Exhibition history

Julien Levy Gallery, New York City. Max Ernst. April 24 - May 8, 1944, no. 13.

Copley Galleries, Beverly Hills, CA, Max Ernst: Thirty Years of his Work, A Survey, January 10 - February 20, 1949, no. 41.

Galerie René Drouin, Paris, Max Ernst, 1950, no. 19.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Max Ernst, A Retrospective, 1975, no. 205. (traveled to Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, 1975).

Haus der Kunst, Munich. Max Ernst: Retrospektive, 1979, no. 274.

Tate Gallery, London. Max Ernst. A Retrospective, 1991, no. 212.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Surrealism: Two Private Eyes, The Nesuhi and Daniel Filipacchi Collections, 1999, no. 84.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (4/4/2005 - 7/10/2005): "Max Ernst: A Retrospective"

CMA (organizer). Beijing World Art Museum, China, May 26 - Aug. 27, 2006; Mori Arts Center, Tokyo, Japan: Sept. 9 - Nov. 26, 2006; Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, Korea: Dec. 18, 2006 - March 31, 2007; Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea: Apr. 7 - May 20, 2007; Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: June 9 - Sept. 16, 2007; Cleveland Museum of Art, Oct. 21, 2007- January 13, 2008; Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN, Feb. 21-June 1, 2008; Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT, June 22 - September 21, 2008; and the Detroit Institute of Arts, MI, October 12, 2008 - January 18, 2009: "Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art"

Max Ernst: A Retrospective. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (April 4-July 10, 2005).

Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Beijing World Art Museum, China (May 26-August 27, 2006); Mori Art Center (September 16-November 26, 2006); Seoul Art Center, South Korea (December 22, 2006-March 28, 2007); Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, South Korea (April 7-May 20, 2007); Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (June 9-September 16, 2007); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 15-June 1, 2008); Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (June 22-September 21, 2008); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (October 12, 2008-January 18, 2009).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2002.55