Glimpses of body parts, bits of a stringed instrument, and hints of a background are fragmented and splintered in this vertical, abstracted painting. Painted within overlapping, geometric shapes, recognizable features like a nose, lips, eyes, and ears are at the top center above a chest, an arm, a ruffled shirt front, and bow tie. The scroll, neck, and bridge of an instrument, perhaps a cello, are below. A vase of flowers is in the background to the left, and a piano keyboard, music stand, and paper titled “Malvina Vass” are to the right. Most of the composition is painted in slate and…
Gallery mode Full size at the museum

Window mode follows your eyes with your camera, in this browser only: no picture or position leaves your device.

The Musician

Louis Casimir Ladislas Marcoussis (French, born Poland, 1883 - 1941)

1914

Medium
oil on canvas
Classification
Painting
Dimensions
overall: 146 x 114.3 cm (57 1/2 x 45 in.) ; framed: 176.2 x 143.2 x 8.2 cm (69 3/8 x 56 3/8 x 3 1/4 in.)
Culture
French
Museum
National Gallery of Art, CMC
Credit line
Chester Dale Collection
Rights
Public domain (NGA Open Access, CC0), as the museum states it.
Who can see it
Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed

View at the National Gallery of Art