Who painted The Tuileries (Les Tuileries)?

The Tuileries (Les Tuileries) was painted by Édouard Vuillard in 1895.

Where can I see The Tuileries (Les Tuileries)?

The Tuileries (Les Tuileries) is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is The Tuileries (Les Tuileries)?

The Tuileries (Les Tuileries) is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

The Tuileries (Les Tuileries)

Édouard Vuillard , 1895

The Tuileries (Les Tuileries) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Édouard Vuillard. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Édouard Vuillard’s lithograph *The Tuileries* was produced in 1895, during his involvement with the avant‑garde collective Les Nabis. The print captures a brief moment in an open space, rendered with a loose, gestural line that suggests movement rather than precise detail. It exemplifies the artist’s early preoccupation with the interplay of pattern and space, a hallmark of his work in the 1890s.

Subject & Meaning

The composition presents four figures viewed from behind, clustered near a low fence beneath a tree branch. Two of the individuals hold floral arrangements—a tall vase and a smaller bouquet—while their loosely draped, antiquated garments hint at a leisurely garden or park setting. The arrangement emphasizes collective presence and the quiet intimacy of shared outdoor leisure.

Technique & Style

Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on swift, sketch‑like strokes that convey light and motion rather than fine modeling.

Executed as a lithograph, the image relies on swift, sketch‑like strokes that convey light and motion rather than fine modeling. Vuillard’s approach reflects the flattened planes and bold color fields favored by Les Nabis, drawing on Japanese woodblock aesthetics that prioritize surface pattern over conventional perspective. The print’s economy of line is typical of turn‑of‑the‑century graphic work.

History & Provenance

Created while Vuillard was an active member of Les Nabis (1891‑1900), the work belongs to a period when the group explored decorative abstraction and spatial flattening. After the collective dissolved in 1900, Vuillard gradually adopted a more naturalistic mode in his later paintings. The lithograph remains a document of his early experimental phase, illustrating the transition from decorative to representational concerns.