The dressmaker
(La Couturière)
1943
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
(71.8 × 49.0 cm) 84.3 × 61.0 cm (framed)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
The Eugénie Crawford Bequest, 2014
© Oscar Dominguez/ADAGP, Paris. Licensed by Copyright Agency, Australia Sydney
Gallery location
Late 19th & early 20th Century Paintings & Decorative Arts Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Born on Tenerife in the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain, Oscar Domínguez moved to Paris in 1929, where he joined the circle of Surrealists who had formed around André Breton and Paul Éluard. In 1935 he settled permanently in Paris and the following year he became an official member of the Surrealist group. During the Second World War, when many Surrealists fled France, Domínguez began a close friendship with Pablo Picasso, whose influence can be seen in The dressmaker. A favourite work of the poet Paul Éluard, this painting was displayed in Éluard’s apartment until his death in 1952.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Paris, France
Inscription
inscribed in black paint l.l.: O.DOMINGUEZ / 9-8-43
Accession Number
2014.489
Department
International Painting
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of Digitisation Champion Ms Carol Grigor through Metal Manufactures Limited
Subjects (general)
Abstract Art Costume Human Figures
Subjects (specific)
dressmakers seated figures sewing (needleworking technique) sewing machines (equipment) women (female humans)
Movements
Surrealism