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A Sprig of Asparagus

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A Sprig of Asparagus
French: L'Asperge
ArtistÉdouard Manet
Year1880
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions16.9 cm × 21.9 cm (6.7 in × 8.6 in)
LocationMusée d'Orsay, Paris

A Sprig of Asparagus (L'Asperge) is an 1880 oil on canvas painting by Édouard Manet, signed at the top right. It is now in the Musée d'Orsay.[1]

Earlier in 1880 the art collector Charles Ephrussi had commissioned Manet to paint A Bundle of Asapragus for 800 francs. On receiving the work he gave the artist 1000 francs instead and so Manet decided to paint a smaller second work now known as A Sprig of Asparagus. He sent this second work to Ephrussi with a note reading "There was one [sprig] missing from your bundle."[2]

The companion piece A Bundle of Asparagus, also by Manet, 1880, Wallraf Richartz Museum, Cologne

The painting is referenced in Sheila Heti's novels How Should A Person Be? and Pure Color. She has called it her favorite painting.[3]

Both paintings are mentioned in the roman The Hare with Amber Eyes. A Hidden Inheritance of Edmund de Waal. Charles Ephrussi and Edmund de Waal were relatives.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ (in French) Georges Bataille, Manet, Genève, Albert Skira, 1955, 140 p. (ISBN 2-605-00020-6), p. 96 et 118
  2. ^ Françoise Cachin, Charles S. Moffett and Juliet Wilson-Bareau, Manet 1832-1883 : Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, 22 April-1 August 1983, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 10 September -27 November 1983, New York, The Metropolitan museum of art, 1983, 544 p. (ISBN 0870993496), p. 451 (catalogue no 188)
  3. ^ Veitch, Mara (2022-03-07). "Sheila Heti on Ejaculate, Jewelry, and Life in Toronto". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-19.

Bibliography

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  • (in French) Denis Rouart and Sandra Orienti, Tout l’œuvre peint d'Édouard Manet, Paris, Flammarion, coll. « Les Classiques de l'Art », 1997 (1re éd. 1970), 126 p. (ISBN 978-2080102386)
  • (in French) Olivier Céna, « Manet, inventeur du moderne », Télérama, no 3196, 16 avril 2011 (lire en ligne [archive])
  • (in French) James H. Rubin (translated by Jeanne Bouniort), Manet : Initiale M, l’œil, une main, Paris, Flammarion, 2011, 416 p. (ISBN 9782081256736)
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