Provenance
(Hammer Galleries, New York); sold 15 February 1965 to Ailsa Mellon Bruce [1901-1969]; bequest 1970 to NGA.
[1]Provenance according to invoice from Hammer Galleries to Ailsa Mellon Bruce dated 15 February 1965, a copy of which is in NGA curatorial records.
Accession Number
1970.17.127
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 33.1 x 40.7 cm (13 1/16 x 16 in.) | framed: 48.2 x 55.8 x 5 cm (19 x 21 15/16 x 1 15/16 in.)
Classification
Painting
Credit Line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Tags
Painting Contemporary (after 1950) Oil Painting Canvas British
Background & Context
Background Story
Chapel in Provence from 1962/64 depicts a provincial chapel in the south of France with the compositional elegance and refined color sense that distinguish Molyneux's paintings from the more casual productions of most amateur painters. Molyneux's fashion house was known for its understated elegance and refined color, and these qualities are equally evident in his paintings—Chapel in Provence demonstrates that the compositional discipline and tonal refinement of his fashion designs could be successfully applied to landscape painting.
Cultural Impact
Chapel in Provence demonstrates that Molyneux's fashion design principles—understated elegance, refined color, compositional discipline—could be successfully applied to landscape painting. The painting's tonal refinement and compositional balance show the same qualities that made Molyneux's fashion house influential, creating a visual record of the aesthetic principles that guided both his fashion designs and his paintings.
Why It Matters
Chapel in Provence is Molyneux's fashion elegantness applied to landscape: a provincial chapel rendered with the compositional discipline and refined color sense that made his fashion house influential. The 1962/64 painting demonstrates that the aesthetic principles of understated elegance guided both his fashion designs and his painting practice.
