Charles Demuth
American
Charles Demuth was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and began his artistic career in Philadelphia. After a trip to Paris in 1907, his style underwent a radical change—he was fascinated by the work of Paul Cézanne and met with pioneering artists such as Henri Matisse and Georges Braque. Upon his return to America, Demuth befriended influential artists and writers. His work addressed the experience of living in the modern world, with compositions that felt fragmented, dynamic, and detached.
Born
1883
Died
1935
What makes a city feel familiar?
Demuth employed a subtle joke in the title of this painting, referring to his family’s home in industrial Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as “the château,” as if it were a French country estate. His title shifts the subject of his painting, suggesting that signs of power and prestige could also be found in the industrial American landscape. Demuth asks us to consider the perceived differences between a fancy French château and urban life in the United States. Are these two ways of living so different?
Medium
Oil on canvas
Credit
Museum purchase, Roscoe and Margaret Oakes Income Fund, Ednah Root, and the Walter H. and Phyllis J. Shorenstein Foundation Fund
Item ID
1990.4
Dimensions
25 x 20 in. (63.5 x 50.8 cm)
Date
1921 (reworked 1925)
Country
Artist name
Charles Demuth