About Georges de La Tour
Duchy of Lorraine · 1593–1652
candlelit paintings of geometric simplicity, forgotten for 250 years before scholars reassembled his career from misattributed works
Museums23
Countries9
Most worksLouvre, Paris · 7 works
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Where to see Georges de La Tour
Ranked by works you can see in person.
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7 worksLouvre
Paris, France
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3 works
Nantes Museum of Arts
Richebourg-Saint-Clément, France
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2 works
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
San Francisco, United States
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2 works
Musée Toulouse-Lautrec
Palais de la Berbie, France
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2 works
Gemäldegalerie Berlin
Berlin, Germany
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2 works
Detroit Institute of Arts
Midtown Detroit, United States
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2 works
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City, United States
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1 works
Nationalmuseum
Stockholm, Sweden
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1 works
National Museum of Western Art
Ueno-kōen, Japan
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1 works
Museo del Prado
Madrid city, Spain
Georges de La Tour prints
Hand-finished archival prints from Georges de La Tour's body of work.
St. Jude Thaddeus - Georges de la Tour
From £28.00
Christ Bénissant - Georges de la Tour
From £28.00
Mary Magdalene with the Night Light - Georges de la Tour
From £28.00
Old Man - Georges de la Tour
From £28.00
The Penitent Magdalen - Georges de La Tour
From £28.00
St. Thomas, also called Saint with a Pike - Georges de la Tour
From £37.00
Repenting Magdalene - Georges de la Tour
From £28.00
The Newborn - Georges de la Tour
From £28.00
View all 23 museums
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1 works
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles, United States
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1 works
J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States
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1 works
Royal Collection
London, United Kingdom
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1 works
Museum of Grenoble
Grenoble, France
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1 works
Munich Central Collecting Point
Munich, Germany
Also here (6)
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1 works
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C., United States
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1 works
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Brussels, Belgium
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1 works
Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
Yanomachi, Japan
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1 works
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle, United States
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1 works
National Gallery of Ireland
Dublin, Ireland
Also here (6)
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1 works
Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
Leicester, United Kingdom
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1 works
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, France
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1 works
Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes
palais universitaire de Rennes, France
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See all Georges de La Tour prints →Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I see Georges de La Tour's work?
Paintings by Georges de La Tour can be found in museums and collections across Europe and North America. In France, his works are held in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Caen; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Cherbourg; and Musée Condé, Chantilly. Other European museums include the National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin; National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh; Hermitage Museum, Leningrad; Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe; and Niedersächsische Landesgalerie, Hanover. In the United States, La Tour's paintings can be viewed at the Art Institute of Chicago; the Detroit Institute of Arts; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge; the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford; and the Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City. These locations provide opportunities to view a range of La Tour's pieces, offering insight into his artistic style and themes.What should I know about Georges de La Tour's prints?
Georges de La Tour (1593-1652) was a French painter. Working in Lorraine, he is known for his use of light and shadow, relating to the Caravaggesque tradition. His style can seem simplistic, with sparse forms and bare designs. He may have seemed unconventional to classicists. His paintings often feature religious subjects, such as Magdalen, Saint Jerome, and Saint Joseph. For example, The Repentant Magdalen concentrates on the period Magdalen spent lamenting her past. The painting shows her lost in thought, caressing a skull, a vanitas motif. A candle, the only light source, is masked by the skull. The artist also painted genre scenes, such as Woman Removing Fleas, transforming a popular theme with simple gestures and light to emphasise the solitude of a private moment. The Paid Money (circa 1630-1635) depicts a religious subject, perhaps the payment of tribute money.Why are Georges de La Tour's works important today?
Georges de La Tour was a French painter active in the 17th century. His works have a continuing appeal because of his distinctive handling of light and shadow and his capacity to convey states of contemplation. He is known for his quiet, candle-lit scenes. La Tour's paintings often depict religious subjects or scenes of everyday life, rendered with a sense of stillness. For example, *Christ with St. Joseph in the Carpenter's Shop*, circa 1640, now in the Louvre, shows the saint with the Christ Child. Joseph is absorbed in his work, unaware that the wood he is sawing is taking the shape of a cross. Another is *The Penitent Magdalene*, circa 1638-1643, which exists in several versions; it captures Mary Magdalene in a moment of conversion, her face illuminated by candlelight. His style, influenced by Caravaggio, employs simplified forms and smooth application of light, drawing viewers into a shared mood of reflection.Georges de La Tour paintings?
The biography mentions that Georges de La Tour painted "Joseph the Carpenter", "The Newborn", and "The Dream of Saint Joseph".Georges de La Tour artwork?
Georges de La Tour painted "The Paid Money" around 1630-1635, which is oil on canvas. It was originally attributed to Honthorst during the nineteenth century, but it was attributed to La Tour only in 1970.Georges de La Tour the penitent magdalene?
Georges de La Tour's "The Penitent Magdalen," circa 1638-43, is housed in MMA, NY. He specialised in candlelit night scenes derived from Caravaggio, and the painting pictures Mary Magdalen at the moment of her conversion, her face illuminated by a bright home amid almost total darkness.Who is george de la tour?
Georges de La Tour was a painter, born in 1593 in the Duchy of Lorraine. He was rediscovered by scholars in the early twentieth century, after being forgotten for over 250 years.What techniques or materials did Georges de La Tour use?
Georges de La Tour's precise methods are not fully known, but some inferences can be made from his finished works. La Tour favoured smooth, unbroken paint surfaces. This suggests he used soft hair brushes and a fluid oil medium, possibly thinned with turpentine spirit. Linseed oil, which dries more quickly than walnut oil, was likely used to temper his pigments. He does not appear to have employed coarse bristle brushes or a thick oil medium to create impasto effects. Some scholars have noted La Tour's interest in effects of light and shadow. The light areas are thickly painted, with brushwork that varies to suit the rendering of materials. The shadows and dark background are thinly done. A zone of dark grey, in which a little ochre colour occurs, sometimes runs along the outline of the cloak; this may be a retouch to fill in the background.
Sources
Where to See guide aggregates verified holdings of Georges de La Tour's works across the following collections.
- [1] book Zuffi, Stefano, 1961-, Baroque painting : two centuries of masterpieces from the era preceding the dawn modern art Used for: biography.
- [2] book Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author, Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author - The Art Book_ New Edition, Mini Format Used for: biography.
- [3] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-07-02. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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