About Henri Gervex
- portrait
academic painting disrupted by Degas's advice to add a corset to the floor, turning a nude into a scandal and a career
Where to see Henri Gervex
Collection holdings are reported here; current display varies. Check with each museum before visiting.
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17 recorded works
Musée Carnavalet
Paris, France
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11 recorded works
Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris
Paris, France
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10 recorded works
Musée d'Orsay
Paris, France
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2 recorded works
Museum of Fine Arts of Nancy
Nancy, France
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1 recorded work
National Museum of Fine Arts, Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Also here (6)
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1 recorded work
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
Dijon, France
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1 recorded work
Museum of Fine Arts of Reims
Reims, France
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1 recorded workMusée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France
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1 recorded work
National Gallery of Art
Washington D.C., United States
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1 recorded work
Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille
Lille, France
View all 13 museums
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1 recorded work
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Brussels, Belgium
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1 recorded work
Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit, United States
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1 recorded work
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles, United States
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Henri Gervex?
Henri Gervex was a French painter born in Paris in 1852, the son of a piano maker. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Alexandre Cabanel, and his work moved from mythological subjects to what he termed "naturalisme mondain," a blend of academic technique and Impressionist observation.What is Henri Gervex known for?
Henri Gervex is known for his society paintings and his work Rolla (1878), which caused a scandal due to its depiction of a man gazing at a sleeping nude and implied prostitution. He also painted a panorama for the 1889 Paris World Fair with Alfred Stevens, featuring over 660 life-size figures.What was Henri Gervex's art style?
Gervex's art style combined academic technique with Impressionist observation of contemporary life, which he called "naturalisme mondain". He initially painted mythological scenes but later transitioned to depicting contemporary subjects with a blend of academic finish and modern observation.
Sources
Where to See guide aggregates verified holdings of Henri Gervex's works across the following collections.
- [1] museum Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] wikidata Wikidata: Q956102 Used for: identifiers.
- [3] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
- [4] book Post-impressionism : cross-currents in European painting Used for: biography.
- [5] book Post-impressionism : cross-currents in European painting Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-09-30. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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