Patrick Henry Bruce
Still Life: Flowers in a Vase
1905-1915
Physical Qualities
Oil on canvas, Unframed: 21 5/8 x 18 1/8 in. (54.9 x 46 cm) Framed: 29 x 25 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (73.7 x 64.8 x 8.3 cm)
Credit Line
The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland
Object Number
1950.316
Bright blooms and open, unpainted areas of canvas reflect Patrick Henry Bruce’s study of works by French artists Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) and Henri Matisse (1869-1954). This floral still life is from a series that the American artist produced from 1907 to 1912 following his move to Paris in 1903. Etta and Claribel Cone, Baltimore-based collectors and patrons of Matisse, purchased the work from Bruce shortly after it was completed.
In France, Bruce was quickly accepted into the Parisian art world, exhibiting regularly until 1930. Experiencing poverty and suffering from mental and physical health concerns, Bruce returned to New York in 1936 and took his own life later that year.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest, 1949; Etta Cone, Baltimore; Cone Collection by 1924
The Peabody Institute Galleries, Baltimore, "Fourth Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art under the Auspices of the Charcoal Club and the Peabody Institute," February 11, 1913 - March 9, 1913, no. 19 (exhibited as "Nature Morte").
Gertrude Rosenthal, The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD, "Still Lifes," November 6, 1966 - November 27, 1966.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Still Life and Flowers," circulated to Ocean City Library, Ocean City, MD, June 22, 1967 - June 29, 1967, no. 5; McHenry House, McHenry, MD, August 3, 1967 - August 20, 1967; The LaPlata Public Library, LaPlata, MD, August 24, 1967 - September 10, 1967; The Searstown Shopping Center, Cumberland, MD, September 14, 1967 - October 1, 1967; The Oxon Hill Regional Library, Oxon Hill, MD, October 5, 1967 - October 22, 1967; Salisbury State College, Salisbury, MD, October 26, 1967 - November 12, 1967; The Academy of Fine Arts, Easton, MD, November 16, 1967 - November 26, 1967; The Milton Eisenhower Library, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, December 1, 1967 - December 3, 1967 (exhibited as "Flowers in a Vase").
Jane Harrison Cone, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "New Dimensions in The Cone Collection," August 9, 1974 - September 29, 1974.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "American Art 1900-1930," September 2 - October 29, 1978.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Twentieth-Century Art from the Museum's Collection," March 14 - April 5, 1981.
Gail Stavitsky and Katherine Rothkopf, Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ, "Cézanne and American Modernism," September 12, 2009 - January 3, 2010, no. 30; circulated to The Baltimore Museum of Art, February 14, 2010 - May 23, 2010; The Phoenix Art Museum, July 3, 2010 - September 26, 2010.
Gertrude Rosenthal, The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD, "Still Lifes," November 6, 1966 - November 27, 1966.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Still Life and Flowers," circulated to Ocean City Library, Ocean City, MD, June 22, 1967 - June 29, 1967, no. 5; McHenry House, McHenry, MD, August 3, 1967 - August 20, 1967; The LaPlata Public Library, LaPlata, MD, August 24, 1967 - September 10, 1967; The Searstown Shopping Center, Cumberland, MD, September 14, 1967 - October 1, 1967; The Oxon Hill Regional Library, Oxon Hill, MD, October 5, 1967 - October 22, 1967; Salisbury State College, Salisbury, MD, October 26, 1967 - November 12, 1967; The Academy of Fine Arts, Easton, MD, November 16, 1967 - November 26, 1967; The Milton Eisenhower Library, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, December 1, 1967 - December 3, 1967 (exhibited as "Flowers in a Vase").
Jane Harrison Cone, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "New Dimensions in The Cone Collection," August 9, 1974 - September 29, 1974.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "American Art 1900-1930," September 2 - October 29, 1978.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Twentieth-Century Art from the Museum's Collection," March 14 - April 5, 1981.
Gail Stavitsky and Katherine Rothkopf, Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ, "Cézanne and American Modernism," September 12, 2009 - January 3, 2010, no. 30; circulated to The Baltimore Museum of Art, February 14, 2010 - May 23, 2010; The Phoenix Art Museum, July 3, 2010 - September 26, 2010.
Charcoal Club, "Fourth Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art under the Auspices of the Charcoal Club and the Peabody Institute," Baltimore: The Charcoal Club, 1913, no. 19 (published as "Nature Morte").
J. O. L., "Show of Paintings at Peabody Fine," "The Evening Sun," March 5, 1913 (published as "Nature Morte").
"Baltimore Women Own Large Collection of Matisse Works," "The Baltimore Sun," December 14, 1924, p. M20.
"Still Life and Flowers," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1967, p. 12, no. 5 (published as "Flowers in a Vase").
Kenneth H. Cook, "Patrick Henry Bruce: Artist was Native of Campbell County," "News & Record, South Boston, VA," October 31, 1974, P. 2D, ill. (published as "Flowers in a Vase").
William C. Agee & Barbara Rose, "Patrick Henry Bruce: American Modernist: A Catalogue Raisonné," New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1979, p. 162, no. B20, ill. (published as "Still Life").
Brenda Richardson, "Dr. Claribel & Miss Etta: The Cone Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1985, pp. 150, 168, 170.
Gail Stavitsky and Katherine Rothkopf, eds., "Cézanne and American Modernism," Montclair, NJ: Montclair Art Museum and The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2009, pp. 180, 184, 369, p. 184, ill.
Inscribed: Recto: Lower right in graphite, "P. H. Bruce"
On View at the BMA
