A Sprig of Asparagus
A Sprig of Asparagus (L'Asperge) is an 1880 oil on canvas painting by Édouard Manet, signed at the top right. It is now in the Musée d'Orsay.[1]
| A Sprig of Asparagus | |
|---|---|
| French: L'Asperge | |
 | |
| Artist | Édouard Manet |
| Year | 1880 |
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 16.9 cm × 21.9 cm (6.7 in × 8.6 in) |
| Location | Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
Earlier in 1880 the art collector Charles Ephrussi had commissioned Manet to paint A Bundle of Asapragus for 800 francs. On receiving the work he gave the artist 1000 francs instead and so Manet decided to paint a smaller second work now known as A Sprig of Asparagus. He sent this second work to Ephrussi with a note reading "There was one [sprig] missing from your bundle."[2]
The painting is referenced in Sheila Heti's novels How Should A Person Be? and Pure Color. She has called it her favorite painting.[3]
Both paintings are mentioned in the roman The Hare with Amber Eyes. A Hidden Inheritance of Edmund de Waal. Charles Ephrussi and Edmund are relatives.
References
- (in French) Georges Bataille, Manet, Genève, Albert Skira, 1955, 140 p. (ISBN 2-605-00020-6), p. 96 et 118
- Françoise Cachin, Charles S. Moffett and Juliet Wilson-Bareau, Manet 1832-1883 : Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, 22 April-1 August 1983, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 10 September -27 November 1983, New York, The Metropolitan museum of art, 1983, 544 p. (ISBN 0870993496), p. 451 (catalogue no 188)
- Veitch, Mara (2022-03-07). "Sheila Heti on Ejaculate, Jewelry, and Life in Toronto". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
Bibliography
- (in French) Denis Rouart and Sandra Orienti, Tout l’œuvre peint d'Édouard Manet, Paris, Flammarion, coll. « Les Classiques de l'Art », 1997 (1re éd. 1970), 126 p. (ISBN 978-2080102386)
- (in French) Olivier Céna, « Manet, inventeur du moderne », Télérama, no 3196, 16 avril 2011 (lire en ligne [archive])
- (in French) James H. Rubin (translated by Jeanne Bouniort), Manet : Initiale M, l’œil, une main, Paris, Flammarion, 2011, 416 p. (ISBN 9782081256736)