Old Peasant Woman

1907

Paula Modersohn-Becker German, 1876-1907

On View

Modern, Level 2, North Wing

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Exhibition History

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Published References

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About the Artwork

Paula Modersohn-Becker made the human figure her primary subject. Attracted by the simplicity of rural life in the northern German village of Worpswede, she began a series of paintings of peasants from the area. She selected her models, including the subject of this painting, from a local poorhouse and returned to the same individuals over the years. In this portrait, Modersohn-Becker imbued her sitter with an unusual dignity and repose given her place in society.

Early on, Modersohn-Becker described her stylistic development as a move toward a radical simplification of forms: “As far back as I can remember I have tried to put the simplicity of nature into the heads that I was painting or drawing.” In 1906–7, on the last of four trips to Paris, she deepened her knowledge of the French avant-garde, including paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Absorbing the innovations of these artists, Modersohn-Becker rendered this model in spare, monumental forms defined by expressive color, which anticipated a style that would soon be known as expressionism.  

Title Old Peasant Woman

Artwork Date 1907

Artist Paula Modersohn-Becker

Life Dates 1876-1907

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. German

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Oil on canvas

Dimensions Unframed: 29 3/4 × 22 3/4 inches (75.6 × 57.8 cm) Framed: 34 5/8 × 27 1/4 × 3 7/16 inches (87.9 × 69.2 × 8.7 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department European Modern Art to 1970

Credit Gift of Robert H. Tannahill

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 58.385

Markings

Inscriptions Inscribed, on verso: Dieses Bild ist ein Original von Paula Modersohn-Becker | Otto Modersohn

Provenance

1919-August 21, 1937, Kunsthalle Hamburg (Hamburg, Germany);
August 21, 1937, confiscated by the German Reich (Deutsches Reich)/The Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (Reichsministerium für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda), Berlin, Germany as “degenerate art";
June 3, 1939, consigned to (Buch- und Kunsthandlung Karl Buchholz, Berlin, Germany);
by 1939, transferred to (Curt Valentin, Buchholz Gallery, New York, New York, USA);
1939-1958, purchased by Robert H. Tannahill [1893-1969] (Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, USA);
1958-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Published References

Stoermer, C.P. Becker-Modersohn. 1913, no. 71, (ill.).

Pauli, G. Paula Modersohn-Becker. 1919, no. 38 (pl. 12). [dated as 1906-1907]

Pauli, G. Fuher Durch die Galerie der Kunsthalle Zu Hamburg. 1924, p. 201 (ill.).

Pauli, G. Katalog der Neuren Meister. Hamburg, 1927, no. 1955.

Paula Modersohn-Becker. Exh. cat., Kestner-Gesellschaft. Hanover, 1934, no. 152.

Westheim, P. Histoire de l'Art Contemporain. Paris, 1935, p. 430 (pl. 558).

Art News (April 13, 1940): p. 15 (ill.).

Magazine of Art 33 (April 1940): p 233 (ill.).

Landmarks in Modern German Art. Exh. cat., Buchholz Gallery. New York, 1940, no. 16.

Cheney, S. The Story of Modern Art. New York, 1947, p. 401 (ill.).

Myers, B. Modern Art in the Making. New York, 1950, p. 334, no. 171 (ill.).

German Art of the 20th Century. Exh. cat., Museum of Modern Art. New York, 1957, no. 128.

Bulletin of the DIA 39, 1 (1959-1960): pp. 20-21 (ill.).

Oppler, E.C. "Paula Modersohn-Becker: Some Facts and Legends." Art Journal 35 (1976): p. 364.

Harris, A.S. and Linda Nochlin. Women Artists 1550-1950. Los Angeles, 1976, p. 277, no. 117 (ill.).

Radycki, J.D. The Letters and Journals of Paula Modersohn-Becker. Metuchen, New Jersey, 1980, p. 174 (ill.).

Uhr, H. Masterpieces of German Expressionism at the Detroit Institute of Arts. New York, 1982, p. 160 (ill.).

100 Masterworks from the Detroit Institute of Arts. New York, 1985, p. 17 (fig. 11).

Scheurmann, Ingrid. "Das neu Menschenbild immitten der Landschaft -- Paula Modersohn-Beckker und die Worpsweder Kunstlerkolonie." ReisenZeiten: streifzuge durch die deutsche Kulturlandschaft. Bonn, 1996, pp. 357-389 (ill.).

Paula Modersohn-Becker und die Kunst in paris um 1900 -- Von Cezanne bis Picasso. Exh. cat., Kunsthalle Bremen. Bremen, 2007, pp. 181, 204, 232 (ill.).

Kelly, Simon and Maite van Dijk, eds. Jean-Francois Millet: Sowing the Seeds of Modern Art. Exh. cat., Van Gogh Museum and St. Louis Art Museum. Amsterdam, 2019, p. 173, cat. 177 (ill.), p. 203.

Greenberger, Alex. 5 Works to Know by Paula Modersohn-Becker, the 'First Modern Woman Artist'. (January 14, 2022). https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/paula-modersohn-becker-best-works-1234615629/#recipient_hashed=00a63b28b0c9651824eb8c227bb3de88cdedba65d6caa1e6ad7ea7b82d204609 [accessed on 1/18/2022].

Kindly share your feedback or any additional information, as this record is still a work in progress and may need further refinement.

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