Provenance
The artist (d. 1919); sold to Eugène Murer, Paris, by Apr. 1883 [as part of a lot of eleven paintings sold for 500 francs per Bailey 1997]; deposited with Durand-Ruel, Paris, 1883 [this and the following per Durand-Ruel, Paris, deposit book for 1879–84 (no. 3913, as Portrait de Sisley), as confirmed by Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Oct. 5, 2010, curatorial object file]; returned to Eugène Murer, Paris, 1883; possibly sold by Eugène Murer, Paris, to Durand-Ruel, Paris, 1896 [according to Daulte 1971; Bailey 1997 states that the painting was sold to Durand-Ruel “at the time of the dispersal of his [Murer’s] collection,” although the Durand-Ruel Archives claim that the statement is false, as they have no record of ownership at the time, Paul-Louis Durand-Ruel and Flavie Durand-Ruel, Durand-Ruel Archives, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Oct. 5, 2010, curatorial object file]. Ivan Shchukin, Paris, by Mar. 1899 [Bailey 1997 states that Durand-Ruel sold the painting to the Russian collector Ivan Shchukin; the Durand-Ruel Archives disagree: “faux, pas vendu par Durand-Ruel Paris à Chtchoukine [sic].” See correspondence from Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts to the Art Institute of Chicago, Mar. 29, 2010, curatorial object file. See also Daulte 1971; Leclercq 1899 illustrates the painting and indicates that it is owned by Shchukin]; sold Shchukin Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, March 24, 1900 to Dr. George Viau, Paris, for 6,100 francs [per Bailey 1997, although the Durand-Ruel Archives disagree: “faux, pas vendu par Durand-Ruel Paris à Chtchoukine [sic].” See correspondence from Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts to the Art Institute of Chicago, Mar. 29, 2010, curatorial object file. See also Daulte 1971; Leclercq 1899 illustrates the painting and indicates that it is owned by Shchukin]; Dr. George Viau, Paris, until at least June 20, 1912 [per Bailey 1997, it was exhibited by Durand-Ruel in Portraits par Renoir, June 5–20, 1912 (although the catalogue does not indicate this). See an archived verso label from the Collection George Viau, which includes a notation “Expo. Durand-Ru[el] 191[. . .]”; conservation file, Art Institute of Chicago]. Herman Beilbuth, by 1921 [per Ernst Jonas Bencard, Assistant Keeper, Ordrupgaardsamlingen, to the Art Institute of Chicago, Dec. 9, 1998, curatorial object file, Art Institute of Chicago]. Howard Young, New York [Daulte 1971]. Mrs. Lewis Larned (Annie Swan) Coburn (d. 1932), Chicago, by 1929 [Meier-Graefe 1929]; bequeathed to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1933.
Accession Number
14650
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
66.2 × 54.8 cm (26 × 21 9/16 in.); Framed: 90.2 × 79.4 × 10.8 cm (35 1/2 × 31 1/4 × 4 1/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
This 1876 portrait of Alfred Sisley is one of the most significant documents of Impressionist camaraderie, capturing the Anglo-French painter at the height of his powers and their shared struggle for recognition. Renoir and Sisley had met as students in Charles Gleyre's Paris studio in the early 1860s, and their friendship had sustained them through years of poverty, critical hostility, and commercial failure. The portrait shows Sisley in informal dress, his reddish hair and beard rendered with quick, warm strokes that suggest both his physical presence and his artistic temperament—gentle, persistent, somewhat melancholic. The background is minimal, a neutral wall that focuses attention on the face and the folded arms that suggest a man comfortable in his own skin despite external circumstances. The palette is characteristic of Renoir's early period: warm flesh tones against cool shadows, with touches of red in the hair and clothing that animate the surface. The painting also documents a crucial moment in Impressionist history: 1876 was the year of the second Impressionist exhibition, at which both artists showed works that were largely ignored by critics and buyers. By painting his friend's portrait, Renoir was asserting their mutual value in defiance of public indifference. The canvas influenced later portraits of artists by their peers, from van Gogh's portrait of Gauguin to Warhol's screen tests of Factory visitors. It also serves as a memorial: Sisley would die in relative obscurity in 1899, and Renoir's portrait remains one of the most sympathetic images of an artist who never received the recognition he deserved during his lifetime.
Cultural Impact
This portrait immortalized Impressionist solidarity during years of poverty and neglect, preserving Sisley's gentle persistence as a testament to artistic friendship beyond commercial failure.
Why It Matters
It matters because Renoir painted his struggling friend as if he were already famous—artists believing in each other when no one else did.
