''The Sleeping Gypsy'' (French: ''La Bohémienne endormie'') is an 1897

oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

by French Naïve artist

Henri Rousseau Henri Julien Félix Rousseau (; 21 May 1844 – 2 September 1910)
at the Salon des Indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (Pa ...

, and tried unsuccessfully to sell it to the mayor of his hometown, Laval. Instead, it entered the private collection of a Parisian charcoal merchant where it remained until 1924, when it was discovered by the art critic

Louis Vauxcelles Louis Vauxcelles (born Louis Meyer; 1 January 187021 July 1943) was a French art critic. He is credited with coining the terms '' Fauvism'' (1905) and ''Cubism'' (1908). He used several pseudonyms in various publications: Pinturrichio, Vasari, ...

. The Paris-based art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler purchased the painting in 1924, although a controversy arose over whether the painting was a forgery. It was acquired by art historian Alfred H. Barr Jr. for the New York

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

Description

Rousseau described his painting as follows: "A wandering Negress, a mandolin player, lies with her jar beside her (a vase with drinking water), overcome by fatigue in a deep sleep. A lion chances to pass by, picks up her scent yet does not devour her. There is a moonlight effect, very poetic."

Popular culture references

* A print of the work appears in the movie ''

The Apartment ''The Apartment'' is a 1960 American romantic comedy-drama film directed and produced by Billy Wilder from a screenplay he co-wrote with I. A. L. Diamond. It stars Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, Jack Kruschen, Dav ...

'' (1960) above the comatose Fran Kubelik. * The painting has served as inspiration for poetry and music, and has been altered and parodied by various artists often with the lion replaced by a dog or other animal. In the ''Simpsons'' episode "

Mom and Pop Art "Mom and Pop Art" is the nineteenth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It was first aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 11, 1999. In this episode, Homer inadvertently becomes ...

" (1999), Homer dreams of waking up in the artwork with the lion licking his head. * The painting is seen in the house of Dr. Robert Neville in '' I Am Legend'' (2007), after being taken from the MoMA when New York City was abandoned. The painting is ultimately destroyed when his house blows up. * This painting appears in the episode of Madeline "Madeline At The Louvre" where Madeline sees herself as the gypsy who sleeps in the painting. * The painting is referenced in Angela Carter's ''

The Passion of New Eve ''The Passion of New Eve'' is a novel by Angela Carter, first published in 1977. The book is set in a dystopian United States where civil war has broken out between different political, racial and gendered groups. A dark satire, the book parod ...

'' to describe the fatigued stillness of the eponymous protagonist (London: Virago, 1982), p.161. * The painting is referenced in William Saroyan's "Tracy's Tiger." (1951) * The painting is also shown in the Between the Lions episode Art Party where the cubs talk about the sleeping gypsy in the beginning, middle, and end. (2003)

References

External links

*
''The Sleeping Gypsy''
MoMA Provenance Research
Sleeping Gypsy-an artists Interpretation''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sleeping Gypsy, The Modern paintings 1897 paintings Paintings by Henri Rousseau Paintings in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (New York City) Lions in art Musical instruments in art Moon in art