Portrait d'acteur

1913

Jacques Villon French, 1875-1963

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About the Artwork

In his early career, Villon specialized in creating large color etchings of well-to-do women and children. But revolutionary theories of composition were shaking the intellectual underpinnings of art during the first decade of the twentieth century. Between 1909 and 1911, exposure to these new ways of thinking caused Villon to drop the conventions of realism and embrace abstraction. If not for the anchoring gaze of the sitter, the figure in this print would dissolve into an unrecognizable series of lines, arcs, and angles. Villon’s aggressive drawing style adds to the sense of dynamism. He used firm, fast strokes to incise the etching plate with lines that nearly verge out of control. Their boldness reveals the sensibilities of a daring printmaker who truly understood his medium. This drypoint dates to the high point of the cubist era, a period in which very few prints were made.
From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)

Title Portrait d'acteur

Artwork Date 1913

Artist Jacques Villon

Life Dates 1875-1963

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. French

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

Medium Drypoint printed in black ink on cream laid paper

Dimensions Plate: 15 3/4 × 12 3/8 inches (40 × 31.4 cm) Sheet: 19 3/8 × 14 1/4 inches (49.2 × 36.2 cm)

Classification Prints

Department Prints, Drawings & Photographs

Credit Museum Purchase with funds from Graphic Arts Council Purchase Fund

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. 2005.24

Markings

Signed Signed, in plate, lower right: Jacques Villon Signed, in pencil, lower right: Jacques Villon

Inscriptions Inscribed, in pencil, lower left: 25(?)/32

Marks Watermark, lower left: "RIVES" Watermark, lower right: "Eug. Delatre"

Provenance

2005-present, purchase by 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.

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Published References

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We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Jacques Villon, Portrait d'acteur, 1913, drypoint printed in black ink on cream laid paper. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase with funds from Graphic Arts Council Purchase Fund, 2005.24.