Loading
Quasimodo
Odilon Redonc. 1875–80
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
The nineteenth-century French artist Odilon Redon was known for works defined by their darkness—both the black materials he used and the mood of his fantastical themes. This drawing depicts Quasimodo, the protagonist of Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel <em>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</em>, but does not directly relate to the text. Redon layered and rubbed away charcoal marks to create the indeterminate space behind the pair.
Download this artwork (provided by The Cleveland Museum of Art).
Learn more about this artwork.
Details
- Title: Quasimodo
- Creator: Odilon Redon (French, 1840–1916)
- Date Created: c. 1875–80
- Physical Dimensions: Sheet: 36.8 x 32.9 cm (14 1/2 x 12 15/16 in.)
- Provenance: Marcel Lecomte [1900-1966], Paris, (sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 11, 1997, no. 74), (Galerie Ronny van de Velde, Antwerp), Private Collection, Paris, France, (Galerie Eric Coatalem, Paris, sold to Eugene Thaw, New York), Eugene Thaw [1927–2018], New York, (sale, Christie’s, New York, November 12, 2018, no. 160), (sale, Christie’s, New York, May 14, 2019, no. 116, sold to a private collector), private collection, (Jill Newhouse, New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH), Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Drawing
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/2020.63
- Medium: charcoal with fabricated black chalk and touches of white and gray gouache on gray wove paper
- Inscriptions: signed, lower left, in black ink: ODILON REDON
- Fun Fact: Victor Hugo, the author who inspired this drawing’s subject, also made drawings with black materials inspired by his own imagination, much like Redon’s own work.
- Department: Drawings
- Culture: France, 19th century
- Credit Line: Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
- Collection: DR - French
- Accession Number: 2020.63
Get the app
Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more
