Autoportrait, 1962

Dimensions: 82.5 x 60.5 cm

Physical Description: Oil on canvas

Acquisition: Acquired in 2011 with support of the Städelkomitee 21. Jahrhundert, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

Status: Not on display

Texts

About the Work

Reminiscent of Rembrandt, the palette has a confusingly premodern quality. Eugène Leroy’s paintings are walls of colour, neither abstract nor representational. It takes a closer, longer gaze to penetrate the coarse, scabby surface and sort the unfocused all-over. The ‘lost’ profile in ‘Autoportrait’ only gradually crystallises within the conglomeration of colour material. With his existentialist search for form, Leroy continued to pursue Informel for decades. It is no coincidence that Georg Baselitz was among those to discover him in the 1960s.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title: Autoportrait (Original Title)

Title Translation: Self-portrait

Painter

Eugène Leroy

Period Produced

20th century

School

Object Type

painting (artwork)

Physical Description: Oil on canvas

Material

canvas

Technique

Property and Acquisition

Institution

Städel Museum

Administration

Contemporary Art 1945-present

Collection

Städelsches Kunstinstitut

Creditline: Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main, Eigentum des Städelschen Museums-Vereins e.V.

Picture Copyright: © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023

Acquisition: Acquired in 2011 with support of the Städelkomitee 21. Jahrhundert, property of Städelscher Museums-Verein e.V.

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre

Main Motif

Persons Shown

Eugène Leroy

Associated Medium

Joker

Iconclass

Primary

48B3 portrait, self-portrait of artist
61B2(LEROY, Eugène)11(+51) historical person (LEROY, Eugène) - historical person (LEROY, Eugène) portrayed alone (+ head (LEROY, Eugène) (LEROY, Eugène))