Patrick Henry Bruce
Peinture/Nature Morte

CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Peinture/Nature Morte
Datec. 1920–1921
PlaceFrance
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions35 × 46 in.

Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by The Brown Foundation, Inc.
Object number78.182
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 203
Exposé

Explore Further

Department
American Art
Object Type
DescriptionPatrick Henry Bruce settled in Paris in
1903. His early paintings assimilated the
lessons of Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse,
and he was briefly associated with the
American Synchromists. From 1917 on, stilllife subjects became his exclusive focus.
He employed mechanical drafting tools to
achieve the hard-edge silhouettes seen in
this example, often working on a single
canvas for extended periods as he built up
certain sections of the composition while
leaving others seemingly unfinished. The
resulting tension between strict organization
and improvisation distinguishes Bruce’s work,
although he received very little attention
during his lifetime and died in obscurity.
Provenance Research Ongoing Exhibition History"Modern American Paintings," The National Art Gallery and Alexandros Soutzos Museum, Athens, September 20–November 7, 1982.

"Direction and Diversity: Twentieth Century Art in the Museum Collection," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 21–September 3, 1988.

"Patrick Henry Bruce: American Modernist," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 31–July 29, 1979; Museum of Modern Art, New York, August 22–October 21, 1979; Virginia Museum, Richmond, November 26, 1979–January 6, 1980.

"Collection: A Texas Phenomenon," McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, November 21–December 24, 1986.

"Once Upon a Time in America," Wallraf-Richartz Museum and Foundation Corboud, Cologne, Germany, November 23, 2018–March 24, 2019.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Landscape
Patrick Henry Bruce
c. 1912
Oil on canvas
81.209
Composition VI
Patrick Henry Bruce
1916
Oil on canvas
79.69
Nature
Stanton Macdonald-Wright
1957
Oil on canvas
2007.175
The Young Itinerant
James Henry Beard
1846
Oil on canvas
2004.2105
Swimming in the Surf
Edward Henry Potthast
c. 1910
Oil on canvas
2021.102
Christina Haig, Wife of John Haig of Bonnington, Leith
Sir Henry Raeburn
no date
Oil on canvas
44.526
Portrait of Brigadier General Joseph Lewis Hogg (1806–1862)
William Henry Huddle
c. 1860
Oil on canvas
B.69.404
Robert Hodshon Cay
Sir Henry Raeburn
c. 1800
Oil on canvas
94.884
The Dismission of Adam and Eve from Paradise
Henry Fuseli
1796–1799
Oil on canvas
BF.1985.14
The Shelton Children
c. 1840
Oil on canvas
53.44
A Family Portrait
c. 1790
Oil on canvas
2023.106