Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Beach Scene, 1862
oil on wood
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
The art of French landscape painter Eugène Boudin (1824 – 1898) received a rare showing in America, when Eugène Boudin at the National Gallery of Art was on view in the National Gallery of Art's East Building, March 25 through September 3, 2007. The exhibition of approximately 40 paintings and works on paper honored the centenary of the birth of Paul Mellon, the Gallery's founding president and the benefactor largely responsible for its Boudin collection, which is one of the largest and most distinguished in this country. Proclaimed the "king of the skies" by Camille Corot, Boudin influenced a number of impressionist painters, most notably Claude Monet. It had been more than 30 years since the last monographic American exhibition of Boudin's work was held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in 1976
The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington. It traveled to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as Eugène Boudin 1824–1898: Works from the Mellon Collections at the National Gallery of Art, from November 14 through January 27, 2008. .
The Artist and the Exhibition
Boudin belonged to the generation of realists and naturalists that preceded impressionists. He made his reputation with small-scale paintings of tourists at fashionable Normandy resorts, and although he received little attention from the general public, his nuanced depictions of light and atmosphere, the freshness of his colors, and the accuracy of his renderings earned the admiration of contemporaries such as Edouard Manet, Gustave Courbet, and Corot. His practice of working outdoors, en plein air, was emulated by Monet, who, together with Auguste Renoir and Camille Pissarro, eventually created the style known as impressionism. Boudin was invited by Monet to join the impressionists at their first exhibition in 1874.
The National Gallery's exhibition featured 22 oil paintings and 20 drawings and watercolors. In the first room, small-scale paintings ranged from finished exhibition pictures to oil sketches that span the artist's entire career. They included
Jetty and Wharf at Trouville (1863), a finished exhibition picture;
Concert at the Casino of Deauville, shown at the Paris Salon in 1865;
and On the Jetty (1869/1870), a plein air oil sketch.
In the second room, watercolor paintings on graphite and drawings were shown in clusters. Boudin's watercolors, such as
Beach House with Flags at Trouville (1865)
and A Couple Seated on the Beach with Two Dogs (unknown date) are the graphic equivalent of his oil paintings, depicting leisurely visitors on the northern coast.
One notable Mellon donation is a suite of six graphite drawings from a single sketchbook made by Boudin in 1858 at the beginning of his career, showing agrarian pursuits in the rural Brittany coastal region. Paintings in this section of the exhibition depict the main commercial occupations in Normandy and Brittany—peasant labor and shipping—and include two of the paintings Boudin exhibited during his lifetime at the Paris Salon: his prize-winning 1883 Salon entry
Entrance to the Harbor, Le Havre and Ships
and Ships and Sailing Boats Leaving Le Havre (1887), shown at the Salon in 1888.
Works in the exhibit:
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Women on the Beach at Berck, 1881
oil on wood, 24.8 x 36.2 cm (9 3/4 x 14 1/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.15
File Name: 253-037.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
On the Beach, Trouville, 1887
oil on wood, 18.4 x 32.7 cm (7 1/2 x 12 7/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.5
File Name: 253-003.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Beach Scene at Trouville, 1863
oil on wood, 34.9 x 57.8 cm (13 3/4 x 22 3/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.14
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
On the Beach, 1894
oil on wood, 13.9 x 23.9 cm (5 3/8 x 9 3/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.6
File Name: 253-002.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Beach at Trouville, 1864/1865
oil on wood, including surrounding strips of wood, approximately .005: 27 x 49.1 cm (10 9/16 x
19 1/4)
File Name: 253-005.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
The Beach at Villerville, 1864
oil on canvas, 45.7 x 76.3 cm (18 x 30)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.4
File Name: 253-006.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Concert at the Casino of Deauville, 1865
oil on canvas, 41.7 x 73 cm (16 7/16 x 28 3/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.3
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
On the Jetty, c. 1869/1870
oil on wood, 18.4 x 27.4 cm (7 1/4 x 10 3/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.13
File Name: 253-008.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Jetty and Wharf at Trouville, 1863
oil on wood, 34.8 x 58 cm (13 11/16 x 22 13/16)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.9
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Figures on the Beach, c. 1867/1870
oil on canvas, 38.2 x 61.2 cm (15 1/8 x 24 1/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.12
File Name: 253-010.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Beach Scene, 1862
oil on wood, 31.2 x 47.5 cm (12 5/16 x 18 13/16)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.13
File Name: 253-011.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
The Beach, 1877
oil on wood, 11 x 25.6 x .3 cm (4 1/4 x 10 x 1 1/2)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.14
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
L'Ile aux Moines with Figure and Cart, c. 1858
graphite, sight size: 22.5 x 39.5 cm (8 7/8 x 15 9/16)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1980.25.
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
L'Ile aux Moines with Workers in a Field, c. 1858
graphite, sight size: 22.5 x 43 cm (8 7/8 x 16 15/16)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1980.25.4
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Landscape with Trees, Cottage, and Farm Wagon, c. 1858
graphite, sight size: 24.8 x 40.5 cm (9 3/4 x 15 15/16)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1980.25.5
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
River Landscape with Buildings, Boats, and Figures, c. 1858
graphite, sight size: 24 x 40 cm (9 7/16 x 15 3/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1980.25.6
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Coastal Landscape with Shipping; Windmill in Distance, c. 1858
graphite, sight size: 21.5 x 36.7 cm (8 1/2 x 14 1/2)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1980.25.3
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Coastal Landscape with Shipping, c. 1858
graphite, sight size: 21.4 x 39.4 cm (8 7/16 x 15 1/2)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1980.25.2
File Name: 253-019.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
A Couple Seated on the Beach with Two Dogs, c. 1865
watercolor and graphite, 16.7 x 21.4 cm (6 5/8 x 8 1/2)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.72
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Seated Lady in Black, Trouville, 1865
watercolor and graphite, 16 x 21.9 cm (6 5/16 x 8 5/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1995.47.24
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Ladies and Gentlemen Seated on the Beach with a Dog, 1866
watercolor and graphite, 17.7 x 27.6 cm (7 x 10 7/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.75
File Name: 253-023.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Two Ladies Seated and a Couple Walking on the Beach, c. 1866
watercolor and graphite, 11 x 15.5 cm (4 1/4 x 6 1/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.77
File Name: 253-024.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Ladies and Gentleman Walking on the Beach with Two Dogs, 1866
watercolor and graphite, 13.5 x 20.7 cm (5 1/4 x 8 1/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.73
File Name: 253-025.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Four Ladies in Crinolines Walking at Trouville, 1865
watercolor and graphite, 12.1 x 23.8 cm (4 7/8 x 9 3/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.80
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Three Women at Trouville, c. 1865
watercolor and graphite, approximate: 13.1 x 17.3 cm (5 1/4 x 6 13/16)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.142
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Four Women at Trouville, 1865
watercolor and graphite, approximate: 11.3 x 15.2 cm (4 7/16 x 6)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.137
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Four Ladies Seated at Trouville, 1866
watercolor and graphite with black chalk, 16.9 x 27.4 cm (6 5/8 x 10 3/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.79
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Crinolines on the Beach, c. 1865
watercolor and graphite, sight size" 14.6 x 23.5 cm (5 3/4 x 9 1/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 2004.110.2
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Loading the Boats, c. 1875
watercolor and graphite, 13.4 x 22.5 cm (5 1/4 x 8 7/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.138
File Name: 253-032.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Beach House with Flags at Trouville, c. 1865
watercolor and graphite, 19 x 34 cm (7 1/2 x 13 1/2)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.74
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Ships in Harbor, c. 1875
watercolor and graphite, 19.4 x 28 cm (7 11/16 x 11)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.140
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Ladies and Gentlemen on the Beach, in Two Registers, c. 1865
watercolor and graphite, 17 x 23.2 cm (6 5/8 x 9 1/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.76
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Seascape with Sailing Vessel, c. 1875
watercolor and graphite, 11.5 x 15.1 cm (4 1/2 x 6)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.139
File Name: 253-036.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Washerwoman near Trouville, c. 1872/1876
oil on wood, 27.6 x 41.3 cm (10 7/8 x 16 1/4)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.15
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Return of the Terre-Neuvier, 1875
oil on canvas, 73.5 x 100.7 cm (29 x 39 5/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.87
File Name: 253-039.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Coast of Brittany, 1870
oil on canvas, 47.3 x 66 cm (18 5/8 x 26)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.11
File Name: 253-040.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Festival in the Harbor of Honfleur, 1858
oil on wood, 41 x 59.3 cm (16 1/8 x 23 3/8)1/2 x 32 x 2 1/2)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.10
File Name: 253-041.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Entrance to the Harbor, Le Havre, 1883
oil on canvas, 118.6 x 160.2 cm (46 11/16 x 63 1/16)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.16
File Name: 253-042.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Yacht Basin at Trouville-Deauville, probably 1895/1896
oil on wood, 45.8 x 37.1 cm (18 x 14 5/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.16
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Washerwomen on the Beach of Etretat, 1894
oil on wood, 37.2 x 54.9 cm (14 5/8 x 21 5/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection, 1970.17.17
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Ships and Sailing Boats Leaving Le Havre, 1887
oil on canvas, 90.4 x 130.5 cm (35 9/16 x 51 3/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1983.1.7
File Name: 253-045.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
The Trawlers, 1885
oil on wood, 18.4 x 26.4 cm (7 1/4 x 10 3/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 1985.64.4
File Name: 253-046.jpg
Eugène Boudin (1824 - 1898)
Ship on the Touques, c. 1888/1895
oil on wood, 32.5 x 23.8 cm (12 7/8 x 9 3/8)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Department of Justice, 1986.36.1
