Artist

Louise Moillon

Still Life with a Basket of Fruit and a Bunch of Asparagus

• Louise Moillon (French, 1610–1696)
• Oil on panel, 53.3 x 71.3 cm
• 1630
• Art Institute of Chicago; Wirt D. Walker Fund, 1948.78

The Artist

Born into a family of artists—her father and her stepfather were painters and art dealers, and her brother Isaac was a painter—Louise Moillon specialized in still life painting, especially of fruits and vegetables. Her patrons included members of the French nobility, and even Charles I of England. Because she was a French Protestant, her life was disrupted by the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. 

Most of the 40 or so works attributed to her today are from before 1640, though a few are from the 1670s. Though many of these attributed paintings are held by private collectors, some are owned by museums. These include, in addition to the Art Institute of Chicago (see below), at least: The Norton Simon Museum, The Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Louvre, Musée des Augustins de Toulouse, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe. As of November 2022, we can add to this list the Kimbell Art Museum.

Learn more about Moillon’s painting Still Life with a Basket of Fruit and a Bunch of Asparagus: Art Institute of Chicago

Current and past exhibitions featuring Louise Moillon:

Making Her Mark: A History of Women Artists in Europe, 1400–1800 at the Art Gallery of Ontario from March 30–July 1, 2024. The show was on previously (October 1, 2023–January 7, 2024) at the Baltimore Museum of Art. 

Ingenious Women: Women Artists and their Companions at Kunstmuseum Basel from March 2–June 30, 2024. The exhibition was previously hosted (October 14, 2023–January 28, 2024) at Bucerius Kunstforum in Hamburg.

Learn more online about Louise Moillon at: 

Guest post on the Art Herstory blog:

Louise Moillon: A pioneering painter of still life, by Lesley Stevenson

The National Museum of Women in the Arts: Explore >

Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza: Explore >

Musée virtuel du protestantisme: Explore >

La Gazette Drouot: Explore >