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(American, 1875–1943)

Café de nuit

by 1906
Oil on canvas
Image: 48 1/2 x 67 3/8 in. (123.2 x 171.1 cm)
Frame: 61 5/16 x 80 1/4 in. (155.7 x 203.8 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1999.97
SignedLeft center: Miller/[illegible numerals, possibly 06]
Interpretation
Richard E. Miller’s Café de nuit portrays the vivid nightlife that revolved around the informal sidewalk cafés and open-air markets of turn-of-the-twentieth-century Paris, famed as a glittering capital of pleasure. The boldly composed image contrasts the clutter of foreground tables and chairs pushed up against the picture plane with the sweeping void of the empty sidewalk in the center, creating a spiraling effect that draws the eye both around and deep into the scene. Equally striking are the direct, even defiantly open glances of the two women nearest the viewer, which, along with their showy dress and the fact that they are not accompanied, mark them as courtesans or members of the city’s famous demimonde (the social world just beyond the bounds of respectable society). Beyond them both, a distinguished woman, gathering her gray skirt in a white-gloved hand, glances at them as she hurries by with her escort.

By 1906 Miller had lived more or less continuously in Paris for seven years, during which he progressed rapidly from an almost penniless art student to a successful exhibitor of paintings both in Paris and at numerous American venues. A specialist in figure painting, the artist created several multi-figure images showing aspects of Parisian street and café life. These works reflect the rise of the urban milieu, including its social underclass, as an artistic subject in the last four decades of the nineteenth century. Perhaps the earliest of these paintings, Café de nuit is the most ambitious in size, compositional complexity, and finish. Miller’s solid academic training informs the painting’s fully rounded, three-dimensional figures, narrative details, emphatic recession into space, and powerful contrasts of light and dark. For this modern subject, however, the artist created an appropriately striking composition featuring abrupt cropping of objects in the foreground, dramatic asymmetry, and tipped-up perspective. While other artists used such features to impart a slice-of-life immediacy to their views of modern life, Miller’s Café de nuit evinces careful, deliberate composition. Its ambitious scale was designed to attract attention in a crowded exhibition gallery. Miller may well have planned the work for the exhibition in which it first appeared, the annual Salon des Artistes Français of 1906. Perhaps there it was acquired by the Norwegian landscape painter Fritz Thaulow (1847–1906) only a few months before his death.
ProvenanceThe artist
Fritz Thaulow
Christie's, New York, New York, June 3, 1982, lot 182
Dr. and Mrs. Henry C. Landon III
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Daniel J. Terra Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1985
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1999
Exhibition History
Salon des Artistes Francais, Paris, France, 1906, no. 1193 (as Café de Nuit, La Terrasse).

American Paintings from the Landon Collection, The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina (organizer). Venues: The Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina, September 9–October 28, 1979; Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana, November 16–December 30, 1979; Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi, January 20–March 9, 1980; Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee, March 23–May 18, 1980; Fine Art Gallery of Edison Community College, Fort Myers, Florida, June 27–July 26, 1980; Loch Haven Art Center, Orlando, Florida, September 20–October 29, 1980; McKissick Museum of the University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, November 9–December 19, 1980; Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, January 18–March 8, 1981 (as L'Heure de l'Apertif). [exh. cat.]

A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, April 21–June 21, 1987. [exh. cat.]

Selections from the Permanent Collection: Americans at Home and Abroad, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 6–29, 1987.

Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915 (Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 1–November 1, 1992; April 1–October 31, 1993; April 1–October 30, 1994; April 1–October 31, 1995 (on exhibit partial run: September 26–October 31, 1995). [exh. cat.]

Collection Cameo, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, February 1992.

American Artists and the Paris Experience, 1880–1910, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, November 22, 1997–March 8, 1998.

Giverny: une impression américaine (Giverny, An American Impression), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–November 1, 1998.

Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920 (The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venues: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–July 15, 1999; Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, December 10, 1999–May 7, 2000 (in modified form). [exh. cat.]

(Re)Presenting Women, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, October 16, 2001–January 13, 2002.

Paris and the American Woman, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, January 19–April 14, 2002.

Paris-New York, aller-retour. Une Modernité américaine en formation, 1875–1940. Oeuvres des collections de la Terra Foundation for the Arts et des Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (Paris-New York, Roundtrip. American Modernism in the Making, 1875–1940. Works from the Terra Foundation for the Arts and the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, September 15–November 30, 2002. [exh. cat.]

The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940 (Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains 1840–1940), Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venues: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, March 15–May 25, 2003; Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, June 8–August 17, 2003. [exh. cat.]

Visages de l'Amérique: de George Washington à Marilyn Monroe (Faces of America: From George Washington to Marilyn Monroe), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2004. [exh. cat.]

Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930 (Passing through Paris: American Artists in France, 1860–1930), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, April 1–October 31, 2005. [exh. brochure]

Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940 (Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France and Miedzynarodowe Centrum Kultury (International Cultural Center), Crakow, Poland (organizers). Venue: International Cultural Center, Crakow, Poland, February 15–May 7, 2006. [exh. cat.]

Le Temps des loisirs : peintures américaines (At Leisure: American Paintings), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, July 15–October 31, 2007.

Le Temps des loisirs : peintures américaines (At Leisure: American Paintings), Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France (organizer). Venue: Musée d'Art Américain Giverny, France, April 1–October 31, 2008.
Published References
L'Illustration (April 28, 1906): 27. Ill. p. 27.

Mauclair, Camille. "La Peinture au Salon." L'Art Décoratif 1 (1906): 211. Ill. p. 211.

Richard E. Miller, N.A.: An Impression and Appreciation. St. Louis, Missouri: The Longmire Fund, 1968. Ill. frontispiece (black & white as Café de Nuit (Terrasse) ).

American Paintings: The Landon Collection. (exh. cat., The Mint Museum). Charlotte, North Carolina: The Mint Museum, 1979. Text p. 69; ill. no. 35, p. 70.

Art in America 70 (May 1982): 18. Ill. p. 18 (color).

Christie's, New York, New York (Sale BIBI-5148, June 3, 1982): lot 182. Text p. 131; ill. cover, lot 182, p. 131.

Gerdts, William H. American Impressionism. New York: Abbeville Press, 1984. Text pp. 267–68; pl. 353, p. 269 (color as L'Heure de l'Apéritif (Café de Nuit)).

Atkinson, D. Scott et al. A Proud Heritage: Two Centuries of American Art. Edited by Terry A. Neff. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1987. Pl. T-159, p. 268 (color).

Southgate, M. Therese. "The Cover." The Journal of the American Medical Association 267:3 (January 15, 1992): 329. Text p. 329; ill. cover (color).

Café de nuit, Richard E. Miller. Collection Cameo sheet, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, February 1992. Ill. (black & white).

De Vries-Evans, Susanna. The Impressionists Revealed: Masterpieces from Private Collections. Auckland, New Zealand: David Bateman, Ltd., 1992. Text p. 138; ill. pp. 138–40 (color as Night café) [image appears in reverse].

Gerdts, William H. et al. Lasting Impressions: American Painters in France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 195; pl. 40, p. 196 (color).

Gerdts, William H. et al. Impressions de toujours: les peintres américains en France, 1865–1915. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1992. Text p. 195; pl. 40, p. 196 (color).

Kane, Marie Louise. A Bright Oasis: The Paintings of Richard E. Miller. (exh. cat., Jordan-Volpe Gallery, Inc.). New York: Jordan-Volpe Gallery, Inc., 1997. Text pp. 23, 129; pl. 12, p. 95 (color as Café de Nuit (Terrasse)).

Cartwright, Derrick R. The City and the Country: American Perspectives, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist); ill. p. 35 (color).

Cartwright, Derrick R. Ville et campagne: les artistes américains, 1870–1920. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1999. Text p. 25 (checklist); ill. p. 35 (color).

Cartwright, Derrick. "The City and Country: American Perspectives 1870–1920." American Art Review 7:1 (January-February 2000): 100-11. Ill. p. 100 (color).

Gerdts, William H. American Impressionism. Second edition. New York: Abbeville Press, 2001. Text pp. 267-68; pl. 253, p. 269 (color).

Griffith, Bronwyn and Lee A. Vedder. Paris-New York, aller-retour (New York-Paris Round Trip). (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2002. Text pp. 22, 24 (French), 88 (English), 106 (checklist); ill. cover (color detail), fig. 6, p. 23 (color).

Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. The People Work: American Perspectives, 1840–1940. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2003. Text pp. 23, 29 (checklist); fig. 11, p. 23 (black & white).

Bourguignon, Katherine M. and Elizabeth Kennedy. Le Travail à l'oeuvre: les artistes américains, 1840–1940. (exh. cat., Terra Museum of American Art). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2003. Text pp. 23, 29 (checklist); fig. 11, p. 23 (black & white).

Kennedy, Elizabeth and Sophie Lévy. Faces of America: Portraits of the Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, 1770–1940. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2004. Text p. 33 (checklist); ill. p. 46 (color).

Kennedy, Elizabeth and Sophie Lévy. Visages de l'Amérique: le portrait dans la collection de la Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1770–1940. (exh. cat., Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 2004. Text p. 33 (checklist); ill. p. 46 (color).

Griffith, Bronwyn A. E. Passing Through Paris: Americans in France, 1860–1930. (exh. brochure, Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2005. Text n.p.; fig. 4, n.p. (color).

Griffith, Bronwyn A. E. Le Passage à Paris: les artistes américains en France, 1860–1930. (exh. brochure, Musée d'Art Américain Giverny). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for American Art, 2005. Text n.p.; fig. 4, n.p. (color).

Lévy, Sophie, et al. Twarze Ameryki: Portrety z kolekcji Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940/Faces of America: Portraits from the collection of the Terra Foundation for American Art, 1770–1940. (exh. cat. International Cultural Center). Cracow, Poland: International Cultural Center, 2006. Text p. 86; ill. p. 87 (color).

Southgate, M. Therese. The Art of JAMA III: Covers and Essays from the Journal of the American Medical Association. Chicago, Illinois: American Medical Association, 2011. Text pp. 76, 204; ill. opposite p. 76 (color).
The Pool
Richard Emil (or Edward) Miller
c. 1910
Metadata embedded 2021
Richard Emil (or Edward) Miller
after 1910