Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Bouquet of Peonies in a Green Jar
Paul Cézanne French
Not on view
For reasons unknown, Cézanne simply stopped working on this canvas in 1898, leaving most of the lush bouquet in a suspended state. There is no way of determining whether Cézanne regarded the work as complete, as he rejected in both words and practice conventional standards of finish. Floral still lifes are rare in Cézanne’s oeuvre. Due to his lengthy process, he would sometimes paint from artificial flowers; yet, this picture’s air of spontaneity suggests the observation of living, fragrant peonies. Fascinated by the work’s indeterminate status and the immediacy of the unvarnished canvas, Georges Braque acquired the painting after Cézanne’s death.
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