ticketsMember | Make a donation

Reclining Nude

1928
Not on view
Suzanne Valadon posed as a model for the artists Renoir, Degas, and Toulouse-Lautrec before she began painting herself in 1893. While she favored still-lives and portraits, Valadon is best known for her paintings of female nudes—a subject rarely chosen by women painters at the time. The reclining nude in the present painting confronts the viewer through her gaze and proximity to the picture plane, yet she obscures her body, crossing her legs and covering her breasts. The pose evokes gestures of modesty associated with classical Antique sculpture.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Reclining Nude
  • Artist: Suzanne Valadon (French, Bessines-sur-Gartempe 1865–1938 Paris)
  • Date: 1928
  • Medium: Oil on canvas (lined)
  • Dimensions: 23 5/8 × 31 11/16 in. (60 × 80.5 cm)
    Framed: 33 5/8 in. × 42 5/8 in. × 3 3/4 in. (85.4 × 108.3 × 9.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.214
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Toilette de Enfants dans le Jardin
Suzanne Valadon
1910
Standing Nude, Suzanne Valadon French, Red crayon on off-white laid paper
Standing Nude
Suzanne Valadon
1902
Adéle préparant le tub et Ketty aux bras levés
Suzanne Valadon
1905
Woman Washing Young Boy
Suzanne Valadon
Nude, Suzanne Valadon French, Black chalk (fixed) with touches of graphite
Nude
Suzanne Valadon
ca. 1895

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.