Musée d'Orsay Publishes Online Record of Emile Bernard's 'Bretonne en grande coiffe'
The Facts
The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has published the online record for Emile Bernard's 1887 watercolor, 'Bretonne en grande coiffe' (Breton Woman in a Large Headdress). The work, executed in watercolor, brown ink, India ink, brush, and pen, measures 20 by 15.2 centimeters. It was acquired by the French state in 1942 and was transferred from the Musée National d'Art Moderne to the Musée du Louvre in 1977 before joining the Orsay's collection. The work has been featured in several exhibitions, including 'De Burne Jones à Bonnard' in 1977 and 'Gauguin's Vision' in 2005.
The Signal
For collectors and curators, the digitization of such records underscores the growing institutional emphasis on provenance transparency and digital access. Bernard's work, often overshadowed by his Pont-Aven School peers like Gauguin, gains renewed visibility through this online cataloging. This move signals the Musée d'Orsay's commitment to making its collection more searchable and researchable, a trend that may increase market interest in Bernard's works on paper, which are less frequently traded than his paintings.
- Artists: Emile Bernard
- Museums: Musée d'Orsay, Musée du Louvre, Musée National d'Art Moderne
- Locations: Paris
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