Chrysanthemum

Description

Fascinated by the complex structure of chrysanthemums, Mondrian painted these delicate flowers throughout his career. This single, frontal blossom recalls the stylized chrysanthemums of Japanese prints. Mondrian added the initials and date near the bottom edge sometime after painting the flower. Since he returned to this subject repeatedly, even during his later years, this painting may have been produced as late as 1942, the year Mondrian exhibited it in New York.

Provenance

(Valentine Gallery, New York, NY, 1947, sold to Leonard C. Hanna, Jr.) (1947); Leonard C. Hanna, Jr.[1889-1957], Cleveland, OH, by bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art (1947-1958); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1958-)

Chrysanthemum

Piet Mondrian

1906–42

Accession Number

1958.38

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

Framed: 52.1 x 49.2 x 5.1 cm (20 1/2 x 19 3/8 x 2 in.); Unframed: 41.5 x 38.5 cm (16 5/16 x 15 3/16 in.); Former: 52.1 x 49.2 x 4.5 cm (20 1/2 x 19 3/8 x 1 3/4 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of Leonard C. Hanna Jr.