Artwork
Grisaille
Grisaille is a drawing by Carven. It dates from 1958 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1958, the drawing titled “Grisaille” is attributed to the fashion house Carven and is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography. The work presents a monochrome study of a woman in a streamlined black outfit, rendered in a light pencil technique that emphasizes form over surface detail.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is depicted in a simple, clean-lined pose, wearing a short V‑neck jacket with three buttons and a matching knee‑length skirt. Her short, neatly styled hair and the hand placed on her hip convey a poised, contemporary femininity, while the accompanying sketches of alternate skirt designs and a jacket outline suggest a design-development process.
Technique & Style
Executed with minimal pencil strokes, the drawing relies on subtle cross‑hatching to suggest volume and shading, characteristic of a grisaille approach that imitates the tonal range of a monochrome painting. The restraint of line work keeps the composition clear, allowing the garment’s silhouette to dominate the visual field.
History & Provenance
The piece entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings sometime after its creation, where it remains accessible to the public. Its dating to the late 1950s places it within Carven’s post‑war expansion, a period marked by streamlined, ready‑to‑wear designs that the drawing documents.
Artist & collection
Artist
These delicate ink-on-paper drawings capture the quiet poetry of everyday things: pinecones, reeds, apples.
Museum
Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
Continue through works from the same source collection.
