Artist | Chaïm Soutine (1893 - 1943)

Year | 1922–1923

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

73 x 54 cm

Location

Orangerie Museum → Level -2, Room 9

The Little Pastry Cook

This portrait of a pastry cook marked a decisive moment in Chaïm Soutine’s career. In 1923, after Paul Guillaume acquired a version of the subject—now in the Barnes Foundation Collection—it was immediately hailed by Albert Barnes as "a peach!", transforming Soutine overnight into a recognized hero of Montparnasse. Soutine produced six versions of this same subject that are known today. Likely inspired by Jean Fouquet’s Portrait of Charles VII in the Louvre, the model’s pose—featuring an elongated face, fragile neck, and distorted features—exudes a strong expressive power. The flat, vivid red of the cloth creates a striking contrast against the white jacket rendered with touches of grey and green. Paul Guillaume purchased this exceptionally accomplished version in the early 1930s as a tribute to the first "Pastry Cook" that he had liked so much. This painting is now held in the Musée de l’Orangerie, preserving the legacy of the work that so significantly changed Soutine’s fortunes.