About Henri Gervex
French · 1852–1929 · portrait
academic painting disrupted by Degas's advice to add a corset to the floor, turning a nude into a scandal and a career
Read full biography →Henri Gervex's works are held in 13 museums worldwide, including Musée Carnavalet, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris, and Musée d'Orsay.
🇦🇷 Argentina
1 museum
- 1 works
National Museum of Fine Arts, Argentina
Argentine Pavilion, Argentina
Also here
🇧🇪 Belgium
1 museum
- 1 works
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
Brussels, Belgium
🇫🇷 France
8 museums
- 17 works
Musée Carnavalet
Paris, France
- 11 works
Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris
Petit Palais, France
- 10 works
Musée d'Orsay
Paris, France
Tue–Sun 09:30–18:00 (Thu until 21:45); closed Mon€16 adultsSolférino (12 (Métro); RER C)Confirm on museum website before visiting. - 2 works
Museum of Fine Arts of Nancy
Nancy, France
- 1 works
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon
Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, France
- 1 works
Museum of Fine Arts of Reims
Reims, France
-
1 works
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France
- 1 works
Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille
Lille, France
🇺🇸 United States
3 museums
- 1 works
Detroit Institute of Arts
Midtown Detroit, United States
- 1 works
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles, United States
- 1 works
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C., United States
Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00, Sun 11:00–18:00FreeArchives – Navy Memorial (Green & Yellow)Confirm on museum website before visiting.
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 2026-05-15. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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