Skip to main contentProvenanceThe artist
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1989
Exhibition HistoryPublished References
Charles Courtney Curran
(American, 1861–1942)
Paris at Night
1889
Oil on panel
Image: 9 1/16 x 12 1/4 in. (23.0 x 31.1 cm)
Frame: 13 5/8 x 16 7/8 in. (34.6 x 42.9 cm)
Frame: 13 5/8 x 16 7/8 in. (34.6 x 42.9 cm)
Credit LineTerra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection
Object number1989.12
SignedLower right: .CHAS.C.CURRAN./.PARIS.1889.
InterpretationCharles Courtney Curran's Paris at Night captures the dazzling nocturnal spectacle of a rain-soaked city street under artificial illumination. The diffuse glow of gas streetlights, lighted kiosks, and lanterns vies with reflections of light on wet pavement. Passersby huddled under black umbrellas, horse-drawn cabs, and a fruit vendor pushing her wheeled cart fill the scene against the dense silhouette of urban buildings. In Curran’s image, weather and time of day have transformed crowded, bustling Paris into a magically tinted fairyland. Yet this romantic effect is a celebration of modern technology: street illumination by gaslight was a recent innovation, one that radically altered life in late nineteenth-century cities by allowing safe mobility at night.
In Curran’s composition, the random assortment of passing figures and the truncated form of the cab at lower left evoke the rapid pace and the anonymity of urban life, which is also suggested in his In the Luxembourg (Garden) (TF 1992.167) of about the same date. The artistic interpretation of the modern city was pioneered in the 1860s and 1870s by French impressionist painters, who influenced such Americans as Childe Hassam and Maurice Prendergast, in addition to Curran. Although Curran did not follow the French example by dissolving his pictured forms into flecks of pure color, the inspiration of the impressionists’ new approach to painting is reflected in the spontaneous composition and paint application of Paris at Night. These features, along with the work’s portable scale and panel support, indicate that it may have been painted outdoors on site, much like Hassam’s similar view of a rainy city street, Horse Drawn Cabs at Evening, New York (TF 1999.66), which dates to about the same time. .
In Curran’s composition, the random assortment of passing figures and the truncated form of the cab at lower left evoke the rapid pace and the anonymity of urban life, which is also suggested in his In the Luxembourg (Garden) (TF 1992.167) of about the same date. The artistic interpretation of the modern city was pioneered in the 1860s and 1870s by French impressionist painters, who influenced such Americans as Childe Hassam and Maurice Prendergast, in addition to Curran. Although Curran did not follow the French example by dissolving his pictured forms into flecks of pure color, the inspiration of the impressionists’ new approach to painting is reflected in the spontaneous composition and paint application of Paris at Night. These features, along with the work’s portable scale and panel support, indicate that it may have been painted outdoors on site, much like Hassam’s similar view of a rainy city street, Horse Drawn Cabs at Evening, New York (TF 1999.66), which dates to about the same time. .
Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., New York, New York
Terra Foundation for the Arts Collection, Chicago, Illinois, 1989
Exhibition History
American Painters in France, 1830–1930, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, June 14–September 3, 1989. [exh. cat.]
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. [exh. cat.]
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.
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.]
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.]
Studied Abroad: Painted Impressions from the Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 6, 2003–April 4, 2004.
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]
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 29, 2006. [exh. brochure]
Charles Courtney Curran: Seeking the Ideal, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee (organizer). Venues: Dixon Gallery and Gardens, July 27–October 5, 2014; Frick Art & Historical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 1, 2014–February 1, 2015; Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina, February 20–May 17, 2015.[exh. cat.]
Electric Paris, Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut (organizer); Venue: Bruce Museum, May 14–September 4, 2016 [exh. cat.]
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. [exh. cat.]
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.
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.]
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.]
Studied Abroad: Painted Impressions from the Collection, Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois (organizer). Venue: Terra Museum of American Art, Chicago, Illinois, September 6, 2003–April 4, 2004.
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]
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 29, 2006. [exh. brochure]
Charles Courtney Curran: Seeking the Ideal, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee (organizer). Venues: Dixon Gallery and Gardens, July 27–October 5, 2014; Frick Art & Historical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 1, 2014–February 1, 2015; Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina, February 20–May 17, 2015.[exh. cat.]
Electric Paris, Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut (organizer); Venue: Bruce Museum, May 14–September 4, 2016 [exh. cat.]
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. Pl. 70, p. 247 (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. Pl. 70, p. 247 (color).
Reymond, Nathalie. Un regard américain sur Paris (An American Glance at Paris). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1997. Text p. 31; ill. p. 30 (color).
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. 24 (checklist).
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. 24 (checklist).
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. 2, 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. 2, n.p. (color).
Faquin, Jane Ward and Maia Jalenak. Charles Courtney Curran: Seeking the Ideal. (exh. cat, Dixon Gallery and Gardens) Memphis, Tennessee: Dixon Gallery and Gardens, 2014. Cat. 10 p. 42, Ill. p.43 (color) Text pp. 21, 42, 116 (checklist).
Karasoulas, Margarita and Hollis Clayson. Electric Paris (exh. cat. Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut). Greenwich, Connecticut: Bruce Museum, 2016. Text pp. 12, 56 cat. no. 9 (checklist); ill. p. 12 (color).
Pierotti, Julie Novarese. Dixon Gallery and Gardens: Paintings, Sculpture, and Works on Paper. Memphis, TN: Dixon Gallery and Gardens, 2021. Text p. 226; ill. p. 228 (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. Pl. 70, p. 247 (color).
Reymond, Nathalie. Un regard américain sur Paris (An American Glance at Paris). Chicago, Illinois: Terra Foundation for the Arts, 1997. Text p. 31; ill. p. 30 (color).
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. 24 (checklist).
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. 24 (checklist).
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. 2, 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. 2, n.p. (color).
Faquin, Jane Ward and Maia Jalenak. Charles Courtney Curran: Seeking the Ideal. (exh. cat, Dixon Gallery and Gardens) Memphis, Tennessee: Dixon Gallery and Gardens, 2014. Cat. 10 p. 42, Ill. p.43 (color) Text pp. 21, 42, 116 (checklist).
Karasoulas, Margarita and Hollis Clayson. Electric Paris (exh. cat. Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut). Greenwich, Connecticut: Bruce Museum, 2016. Text pp. 12, 56 cat. no. 9 (checklist); ill. p. 12 (color).
Pierotti, Julie Novarese. Dixon Gallery and Gardens: Paintings, Sculpture, and Works on Paper. Memphis, TN: Dixon Gallery and Gardens, 2021. Text p. 226; ill. p. 228 (color).