Book, Pipe, and Glasses

1915

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Gris delighted in specious representations—forms that transubstantiate, multiply, or appear and disappear. In this dazzling still life, he focused on an impeccably foreshortened volume illuminated by white light. Amid the hide-and-seek outlines of spectral objects—a coffee pot and grinder, a sugar bowl, cups, and a pipe—the book appears real enough, yet it frustrates the reader with a text composed of strikethrough lines. Gris turned the facing page into a mirror, all glassy sheen, though further scrutiny reveals that it reflects a different page.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Book, Pipe, and Glasses
Artist: Juan Gris (Spanish, Madrid 1887–1927 Boulogne-sur-Seine)
Date: 1915
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 28 3⁄4 × 36 in. (73 × 91.5 cm)
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Private collection
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art