Collections: European Art: The Philosopher (Le Philosophe)

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This image is presented as a "thumbnail" because it is protected by copyright. The Brooklyn Museum respects the rights of artists who retain the copyright to their work.

The Philosopher (Le Philosophe)

Based on a life study of a seated male bather swathed in a towel and reading a newspaper, Villon’s simultaneously geometric and organic painting blends hard- and softedged intersecting planes with the contours of a powerful, muscular body and its enveloping white drapery. Although this work developed out of an initial interest in the human form, the artist gave it a title that evokes the metaphysical realm of the intellect or the incorporeal—reflecting Villon’s own considered approach to painting.


• Artist: Jacques Villon, French, 1875-1963
• Medium: Oil on canvas
• Place Made: Europe
• Dates: 1930
• Dimensions: 39 5/8 x 31 7/8in. (100.6 x 81cm) Frame: 46 x 37 1/2 in. (116.8 x 95.3 cm) Mount: 8 3/8 x 6 in. (21.3 x 15.3 cm)
• Signature: Signed and dated lower left: "Jacques Villon '30"
• Collections: European Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Beaux-Arts Court, North, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 34.1000
• Credit Line: Gift of Gerda Stein
• Image: Overall, 34.1000_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Jacques Villon (French, 1875-1963). The Philosopher (Le Philosophe), 1930. Oil on canvas, 39 5/8 x 31 7/8in. (100.6 x 81cm) Frame: 46 x 37 1/2 in. (116.8 x 95.3 cm) Mount: 8 3/8 x 6 in. (21.3 x 15.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Gerda Stein, 34.1000 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 34.1000_SL1.jpg)