Pierette
Medium
Drawing
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney
Accession Number
1966.111.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
" Pierette" is a 1927 drawing by Alice Pike Barney that captures a bust-length portrait of a performer embodying the commedia dell character Pierrette. The and subject evoke the theatrical world of masked players and stock roles, where Pierrette often appears as the graceful, sometimes melancholic counterpart to Pierrot. Rendered in the intimate medium of drawing, the work highlights Barney's ability to suggest both and costume through economical lines and subtle modeling. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art, the drawing entered the collection as a gift from the artist's daughters, Laura D...