Misia Sert
- Artist: Pierre-Auguste Renoir
- Date: 1904
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "Misia Sert" by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Painted in 1904, it's one of eight portraits Renoir made of Misia, each requiring long sittings over a month. The portrait captures her shimmering glamour and poise as she leans against the bolster of her chaise longue. But there's also an awkwardness to the pose - her legs seem too far forward from the front edge of the chair and her upper body leans stiffly to one side.
Renoir seems to have caught something of Misia's emotional turmoil, perhaps even her uncertainty in the face of her divorce. Her gaze is hard to interpret, looking directly at us yet not quite focusing. It's a complex image, full of tension, and it's easy to see why this portrait is one of the most well-known of Renoir's works.
See it in person
Misia Sert hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
