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Quasimodo
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Quasimodo

charcoal with fabricated black chalk and touches of white and gray gouache on gray wove paperOdilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)/c. 1875–80

Description

The nineteenth-century French artist Odilon Redon was known for works defined by their darkness—both the black materials he used and the mood of his fantastical themes. This drawing depicts Quasimodo, the protagonist of Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but does not directly relate to the text. Redon layered and rubbed away charcoal marks to create the indeterminate space behind the pair.

Provenance

Marcel Lecomte [1900-1966], Paris; (sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 11, 1997, no. 74); (Galerie Ronny van de Velde, Antwerp); Private Collection, Paris, France; (Galerie Eric Coatalem, Paris, sold to Eugene Thaw, New York); Eugene Thaw [1927–2018], New York; (sale, Christie’s, New York, November 12, 2018, no. 160); (sale, Christie’s, New York, May 14, 2019, no. 116, sold to a private collector); private collection; (Jill Newhouse, New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH); Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Dimensions

36.8 × 32.9 cm

Movement / Period

Drawings

Accession No

2020.63

Official Citations

[The Cleveland Museum of Art Official Record][Full Resolution Image]
Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)

Drawings • France, 19th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Quasimodo by Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916) (c. 1875–80) | PublicArk | PublicArk