Updated 14 May 2025
Currently not on display
Currently not on display
Self-Portrait
| Date | 18 C |
|---|---|
| Materials and Techniques | pastel on paper |
| Size（cm） | 57.8 x 33.7 |
| Category | Drawings |
| Collection Number | D.1977-0001 |
In 18th century Paris, it was the smart upper class women that led the gallant court culture. The domain of art was no exception and by the latter half of the century, an unprecedented number of female artists were active. Bouliar was one such artist who studied painting under Duplessis, painter to the court of Louis XVI, and achieved success in portraiture, a field in which women were traditionally allowed to participate. Comparison with a signed self-portrait of 1792 belonging to the Musee des Beaux Arts in Angers tells us that the model is the artist herself. The characteristic of pastel is exerted in full and portrayed in a soft, bright tone, the artist appears to be full of confidence. (Source: The Digital Gallery. 1999-2006)
Provenance
Private collection, France; Wildenstein; Purchased by the NMWA, 1978.
Exhibition History
- 1972
- Women: A historical survey of works by women artists, Salem Fine Art Center, Winston-Salem, NC, 27 February 1972 - 19 March 1972, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC, 25 March - 20 April 1972, p. 5, cat. no. 6
- 1973
- Master Drawings, Wildenstein, New York, 0 February 1973 - 0 March 1973
- 1973
- Master Drawings, Wildenstein, New York, NY, 0 February 1973 - 0 March 1973, no catalogue
- 1977
- Maîtres du dessin français 18ème ciècle, Wildenstein Tokyo, 13 October 1977 - 30 November 1977, cat. no. 40
- 2001
- French Masterpiece Drawings from The National Museum of Western Art Collection, National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 27 March 2001 - 24 June 2001
Bibliography
- 1965
- Vente anonyme. Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 28 June 1965, lot. 3
- 1971
- Nochlin, L.. Why have there been no great women artists?. Art News. vol. 69, no. 9, January, 1971, reproduced p. 27.
- 1976
- Harris, A. S.; Nochlin, L. Women artists: 1550-1950 (exh. cat.). Country Museum of Art, Los Angels, 1976-1977, p. 202, note 3.
- 1979
- Annual Bulletin of the National Museum of Western Art. No. 12 (1977), 1979, New Acquisitions (Catalogue). pp. 20-21, repr.