The Sleeping Gypsy is an 1897 oil painting by French Naive artist Henri Rousseau. The fantastical depiction of a lion musing over a sleeping woman on a moonlit night is one among the most recognizable artworks of modern times.
Rousseau first exhibited the painting at the 13th Salon des Independents, and tried unsuccessfully to put up for sale it to the mayor of his hometown, Laval. Instead, it entered the private collection of a Parisian charcoal merchant where it remained until 1924, when it is discovered by the art critic Louis Vauxcelles.
The Paris-based art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler purchased the painting in 1924, although a controversy arose over whether the painting was a forgery. It was acquired by art historian Alfred H. Barr Jr. for the New York Museum of Modern Art.
The painting has served as inspiration for poetry and music, and has been altered and parodied by different artists often with the lion replaced by a dog or other animal. In the Simpsons episode "Mom and Pop Art" Homer dreams of waking up in the artwork with the lion licking his head. A print of the work seems in the movie "The Apartment" higher than the comatose Fran Kubelik.
The painting has served as inspiration for poetry and music, and has been altered and parodied by different artists often with the lion replaced by a dog or other animal. In the Simpsons episode "Mom and Pop Art" Homer dreams of waking up in the artwork with the lion licking his head. A print of the work seems in the movie "The Apartment" higher than the comatose Fran Kubelik.
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