The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler

Date

Trouville Beach was first recorded when exhibited in 1900, but could have dated from the 1860s or late 1890s. ¹

Whistler was in Trouville more than once and painted several seascapes there, particularly in 1865 (see, for instance Sea and Rain y065), and in the late 1890s (see The Shore, Pourville y521). It is slightly more likely that this dated from 1899/1900, because it was lent by Whistler to the Fifth Annual Exhibition, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1900-1901 (cat. no. 259) as ‘Trouville Beach’.

Images

Subject

Titles

Only one title has been suggested:

• ‘Trouville Beach’ (1900, Carnegie Institute). ²
• 'Trouville Beach' (1980, YMSM). ³

Description

A beach scene.

Site

Trouville on the French coast. Whistler was in Trouville more than once and painted several seascapes there, particularly in 1865 (e.g. Harmony in Blue and Silver: Trouville y064), and in the 1890s (e.g. The Shore, Pourville y521).

Technique

Technique

Unknown.

Conservation History

Unknown.

Frame

Unknown.

History

Provenance

• Unknown.

The Sea, Montclair Art Museum

The only thing known about the history of this painting is that it was lent by Whistler to an exhibition in Pittsburgh in 1900. There are several pictures that could possibly have been available. It is not known when Green and Grey. Channel y069 was bought by John Howard Whittemore (1837-1910), but it was in the USA by 1905. On the other hand, although is not known when Alexander Young (1828–1907) bought Sea and Rain y065, it is unlikely that it went to the USA.

Green and Silver: The Great Sea, The Hunterian

There are more likely candidates among Whistler's later works. Whistler himself owned Green and Silver: The Great Sea y518, which is reproduced above. He could have sent it to Pittsburgh before he lent it to the 3rd Exhibition, Pictures, Drawings, Prints and Sculptures, International Society of Sculptors, Painters and Gravers, Galleries of the Royal Institute, London, 1901 in October. The Sea, Pourville y520 and The Shore, Pourville y521 were also with Whistler, and would have been available.

The Sea, Pourville, Terra Foundation for American Art

The Shore, Pourville, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Less likely candidates for exhibition in 1900 are The Sea, Pourville, No. 1 y516 and The Sea, Pourville, No. 2 y519, both acquired at some time unknown by Alexander Arnold Hannay (1858-1927), but probably in London; Grey and Gold: High Tide at Pourville y523 and Blue and Silver: Boat Entering Pourville y524, both sold in May 1900 by Whistler to David Croal Thomson (1855-1930) of Goupil's; and Grey and Silver: Pourville y522, delivered for Whistler by Charles Lang Freer (1856-1919) to William Herbert Bixby (1849-1928) in 1902.

Exhibitions

• 1900: Fifth Annual Exhibition, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1900-1901 (cat. no. 259) as ‘Trouville Beach’.

Whistler himself lent this oil to the Pittsburgh exhibition, which took place in November and December 1900.

Bibliography

Catalogues Raisonnés

• Young, Andrew McLaren, Margaret F. MacDonald, Robin Spencer, and Hamish Miles, The Paintings of James McNeill Whistler, New Haven and London, 1980 (cat. no. 540) as 'Trouville Beach'.

Authored by Whistler

• None.

Catalogues 1855-1905

• Fifth Annual Exhibition, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1900-1901 (cat. no. 259) as ‘Trouville Beach’.

Journals 1855-1905

• None.

Monographs

• None.

Books on Whistler

• None.

Books, General

• None.

Catalogues 1906-Present

• None.

Journals 1906-Present

• None.

Websites

• None.

Unpublished

• None.

Other

• None.