Artwork
Madame Michel-Lévy
Madame Michel-Lévy is a pastel painting by the Impressionist artist Édouard Manet. It dates from 1882 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: Manet / 1882
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is executed in pastel on canvas, a support that gives the surface a slightly absorbent quality typical of pastel applications.
Madame Michel‑Lévy is an 1882 portrait painted by Édouard Manet. The work is executed in pastel on canvas, a support that gives the surface a slightly absorbent quality typical of pastel applications. Measuring 74.2 cm in height and 51 cm in width, the composition captures the sitter in a direct, almost photographic pose, emphasizing facial detail and the delicate rendering of fabric.
As a pastel portrait, the piece demonstrates Manet’s loose handling of color and his interest in capturing fleeting expression, while the canvas support allows for both fine line work and broader tonal washes.
History & Provenance
Commissioned directly by the sitter, Lucie Michel-Lévy, in Paris, Edouard Manet created this pastel portrait in 1882. The work remained in the sitter's possession until it was sold in 1913 to Dr. Gottlieb Friedrich Reber and his wife Erna Reber of Barmen, Germany. The couple retained the painting through their relocation to Munich and subsequently Switzerland, with records confirming its presence in their collection as late as 1919.
Following this period, the work passed through the Parisian galleries Barbazanges and Étienne Bignou. It was acquired by New York collector Chester Dale on April 5, 1927. Dale bequeathed the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1963, where it remains part of the permanent collection.
Madame Michel-Lévy has been in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., since 1963, when it entered as part of the bequest of Chester Dale. The pastel on canvas passed through several private owners before reaching the NGA. Commissioned by the sitter Lucie Michel-Lévy in Paris, it was sold in 1913 to Dr. Gottlieb Friedrich and Erna Reber of Barmen, Germany, who still held it in 1919.
Galerie Barbazanges in Paris handled the work in 1926, when it was lent to an exhibition in Prague, and Galerie Étienne Bignou subsequently sold it on 5 April 1927 to Chester Dale in New York.
The painting was also exhibited in Glasgow in 1927 through the galleries of Alex. Reid and Lefevre.
Overview
This portrait, titled Madame Michel-Lévy, was created by Edouard Manet in 1882. Executed in pastel on canvas, the work captures a seated woman in formal attire. Manet's choice of medium allowed for a distinctive visual quality, contributing to the artwork's overall character and reflecting a common practice for expressive portraiture during the period.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, Madame Michel-Lévy, is depicted in a dark, high-necked dress, accented by a light blue collar. Her hair is styled neatly, pulled up, and she wears a simple necklace and earrings, suggesting a refined yet understated elegance. Her composed posture conveys a sense of stillness, focusing the viewer's attention on her countenance and attire within the frame.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Édouard Manet was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.
