Artwork
Picking Flowers
Picking Flowers is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right: Renoir.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
No additional iconographic attributes are documented in the sources, so the work’s meaning is tied to the straightforward representation of the tree itself.
The painting shows a solitary tree within a garden setting, rendered in oil on canvas. Both the provenance records and the Wikidata entry identify the depicted element as a tree, confirming that the composition centers on this natural form. The tree functions as the primary visual subject, allowing the artist to explore botanical detail and spatial depth.
No additional iconographic attributes are documented in the sources, so the work’s meaning is tied to the straightforward representation of the tree itself.
Technique & Style
Picking Flowers is an oil painting executed on canvas, a medium consistent with Renoir's standard practice of the 1870s. The work measures 54.3 by 65.2 centimeters, an intimate scale suited to a genre scene of figures in a landscape.
Stylistically, the painting belongs to the Impressionist mode Renoir was developing during the mid-1870s, characterized by loose, painterly brushwork and an emphasis on outdoor light and natural surroundings. The composition is anchored by a tree, around which the figures and floral activity are arranged, suggesting an informal, observational approach to the subject rather than a staged studio arrangement.
No specific information regarding the painting's current condition, surface handling, or any restoration history is documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Auguste Renoir painted Picking Flowers in 1875, an oil on canvas work measuring 54.3 cm by 65.2 cm, classified as a genre scene that depicts a tree.
The painting entered the market through George Viau of Paris, who sold it at the Durand‑Ruel auction on 4 March 1907 (lot 55, titled “Au Jardin”); it subsequently passed to Bernheim‑Jeune, then to Durand‑Ruel in both Paris and New York, and later to dealer Sam Salz before being offered to Galerie Barbazanges.
In June 1923 Knoedler & Co. acquired the work in Paris, after which it was sold to Howard Young Galleries in New York, and by 1929 it belonged to Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn of Chicago, who bequeathed it to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1932.
The piece remained in the Institute’s collection until 1947, when it was sold to Ailsa Mellon Bruce, and following her bequest in 1970 it entered the National Gallery of Art’s holdings.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., having entered the collection through the bequest of Ailsa Mellon Bruce in 1970. Prior to that, it was bequeathed to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1932 by Annie Swan Coburn and remained there until its sale in 1947. The work was exhibited in 1932 as part of the Exhibition of the Mrs. L. L. Coburn Collection of Modern Paintings and Water Colors at the Art Institute of Chicago, where it was catalogued as no. 30.
Overview
Auguste Renoir's 1875 oil painting, Picking Flowers, presents a quiet genre scene. The artwork depicts a young girl engaged in the simple act of gathering blossoms beneath the expansive branches of a tree. This composition captures a serene, everyday moment, reflecting Renoir's frequent exploration of domestic life and unpretentious human activities within nature.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style.
