Bottle of Marc Vieux

Georges Braque

1912 · Oil and charcoal on canvas · Modern and Contemporary Art

In this painting of a bar or café interior, Braque evokes space and depth by varying the size, opacity, and placement of letters and numbers. A sign on the back wall ("BOCK 30 c") advertises a reasonably priced mug of beer, while the “BA[L]” in the lower right refers to a dance hall. The tall shape at center is identified as a bottle of alcohol by its “Marc Vieux” label. (Braque made other compositions that include "Vieux Marc" bottles—both are brandies.) The adjacent forms can be read as a stemmed glass and curved tabletop or as part of a violin or cello, a playful ambiguity typical of Braque and Picasso’s Cubist style in the years preceding World War I.

Artist

Georges Braque

Date

1912

Medium

Oil and charcoal on canvas

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Leonard A. Lauder Cubist Collection, Purchase, Leonard A. Lauder Gift, 2015