Cecilia BeauxAmerican, 1855–1942Georges Clemenceau
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Washington, D.C., United States
RoomLuce Foundation Center, 3rd Floor, 2A
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
The United States War Portraits Commission hired Cecilia Beaux to paint this portrait of Georges Clemenceau, the premier of France who signed the World War I peace treaty at Versailles in 1919. Clemenceau hated having his portrait made, so Beaux prepared her composition from photographs and sketches while she waited for his return from a trip to the Middle East. She wrote: "Now I am after the most illusive and 'orneriest' of them all, and dear knows when I shall catch him . . ." Beaux finally went to his house for one sitting and from an oil sketch created this portrait of the statesman, standing in his study behind a desk with books and papers.
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Particulars
- Accession number
- 1923.6.5
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Smithsonian American Art Museum: the museum's own open data · fetched 11 days ago
- Image: Smithsonian American Art Museum — CC0
