L'Asperge
About the painting
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.
In 1880, Charles Ephrussi, an art collector and patron of the arts, commissioned Manet to paint A Bundle of Asparagus for 800 francs. Ephrussi, however, sent 1,000 francs instead. In response, Manet created this smaller work, A Sprig of Asparagus, and sent it to Ephrussi with a note that humorously stated: "There was one [sprig] missing from your bunch."
Art historians have interpreted the anecdote as a sign of Manet's ability to blend wit with social and artistic gestures. By painting an additional work to acknowledge the overpayment, Manet transformed a standard commercial transaction into a symbolic exchange. The act also reinforced his image as a refined and gracious artist, appreciated for his humor and sensitivity to the nuances of patronage.
Oplysninger
- Inventarnummer
- RF 1959 18
Imens i livet hos Édouard Manet
Hele livet1870s
Refuses to exhibit with the Impressionists
Although his own work influenced and anticipated the Impressionist style, Manet resisted involvement in Impressionist exhibitions: he did not wish to be seen as the representative of a group identity and held that modern artists should seek to exhibit at the Salon.
1879 · Bopæl
8th arrondissement of Paris
1879
The Salon warmly receives “In the Conservatory” and “In the Boat”
Only in 1879 did the Salon appreciate Manet's perseverance: his canvases “In the Conservatory” and “In the Boat” were received very warmly.
September 1879
The first attack of rheumatism and ataxia
In September 1879 Manet suffered his first acute attack of rheumatism; it soon turned out that he had ataxia, a disorder of movement coordination. The illness progressed rapidly and limited his creative possibilities.
December 1879
“The Execution of Maximilian” first shown in New York
In December 1879 the singer Émilie Ambre and her lover Gaston de Beauplan organised in New York the first exhibition of “The Execution of Emperor Maximilian”.
December 1881
The Légion d'honneur
In December 1881, at the recommendation of Antonin Proust, his childhood friend and the new minister, Manet was awarded the Légion d'honneur.
