The Church of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet, Paris

Artist Maurice Utrillo French, 1883–1955

Datecirca 1915–1921

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions25 5/8 x 19 1/4 in. (65.1 x 48.9 cm)
Frame: 35 1/2 x 29 1/2 in. (90.2 x 74.9 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineGift of Marion and Stanley Robboy in memory of Anne-Marie and Victor Loeb

Object number2007.6

On View

Not on view

Label Text
Utrillo was born in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris, the son of Suzanne Valadon, a teenage model who posed for Berthe Morisot, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Degas, and later became a talented painter in her own right. By the age of 21, Utrillo was already suffering from the chronic alcoholism that would force him to be confined to sanitoriums off and on throughout his life. To distract him from his addiction to alcohol, his mother taught and encouraged him to paint as therapy. His favorite subject were the buildings and streets of Montmartre, and churches in and around Paris. The 13th-century church of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet in Paris's Latin Quarter, with its 17th-century belltower was a favorite subject for the artist, who painted it on numerous occasions, often (as here) from a viewpoint looking towards the corner of the rue des Bernardins and the rue Monge. Like his other early works, The Church of Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet is distinguished by bold colors and a studied, almost theater-set composition. Works like these established Utrillo as an internationally famous artist whose paintings of Parisian buildings and streets were in great demand by collectors.ProvenanceEugene Loeb, Bern, Switzerland, 1937; to son Victor and wife Anne-Marie Loeb, Bern, Switzerland, date unknown; to daughter Marion and husband Stanley Robboy, Chapel Hill, NC, 1999; long-term loan to NCMA, 2001-2006; given to NCMA, 2006.
Published References[Painting is NOT listed in Petrides's Catalogue Raisonné] Object Rights Statement

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) makes images of its collection available online to support research and scholarship and to inform and educate the public. Certain works of art, as well as the photographs of those works of art, may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not owned by the NCMA. The responsibility for ascertaining whether any such rights exist and for obtaining all other necessary permissions remains with the applicant. To request images and/or permissions from the NCMA, please complete our online request form.