Tea Time (Woman with a Teaspoon)

Gallery 272, Modern and Contemporary Art, second floor (Alchin/Marryatt Gallery)

Main Building

Tea Time (Woman with a Teaspoon)

1911

Jean Metzinger (French, 1883–1956)

When this painting was first shown at the 1911 Salon d’Automne in Paris, the prominent art critic André Salmon dubbed it “The Mona Lisa of Cubism.” While Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque were moving even further toward the dematerialization of the figure in their canvases of 1911, Metzinger remained resolutely committed to legibility in Tea Time, where a seated woman, holding a teaspoon suspended between cup and mouth, is clearly discernible within a geometric environment. The artist does, however, show the teacup in profile and from above to demonstrate the new art’s mobile perspectives.

Gallery 272, Modern and Contemporary Art, second floor (Alchin/Marryatt Gallery)

Object Details

Title:

Tea Time (Woman with a Teaspoon)

Date:

1911

Artist:

Jean Metzinger (French, 1883–1956)

Medium:

Oil on cardboard

Dimensions:

29 7/8 x 27 5/8 inches (75.9 x 70.2 cm) Framed: 31 1/4 × 29 × 1 3/4 inches (79.4 × 73.7 × 4.4 cm)

Classification:

Paintings

Credit Line:

The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950

Accession Number:

1950-134-139

Geography:

Made in France, Europe

Provenance

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. Does this record contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Contact us here.

Please note that this particular artwork might not be on view when you visit. Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.

Gallery 272, Modern and Contemporary Art, second floor (Alchin/Marryatt Gallery)

Main Building

Museum map