Anders Zorn (1860-1920) was a Swedish artist renowned for portraiture, etchings, and paintings of nudes in outdoor settings. He painted three American presidents and rivaled Sargent as the most sought-after society portraitist.

What is the 'Zorn palette'?

Zorn famously used a limited palette of just four colors: white, yellow ochre, vermilion, and ivory black. This restricted palette could achieve notable color variety and tonal range through careful mixing.

Where can I see Anders Zorn's work?

Major collections exist at the Zorn Museum in Mora, Sweden, the National Museum in Stockholm, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Where Is Portrait of Fru Lisen Samson, nee Hirsch

Anders Zorn completed this intimate domestic scene showing Fru Lisen Samson arranging flowers at a window. Zorn became one of Sweden's most celebrated artists, gaining international fame as a portraitist whose subjects included three American presidents. His ability to capture the individual character of his models made him the equal of John Singer Sargent in depicting high society.

The play of natural light through the window is characteristic of Zorn's work. He mastered the depiction of light early in his career, first with watercolors and later translating those techniques to oil painting. His famous restricted palette of white, yellow ochre, vermilion, and black allowed for notable tonal range despite its limited colors.

This work resides in a private collection. Major collections of Zorn's paintings can be found at the National Museum in Stockholm, the Zorn Museum in Mora (his hometown), and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. At just 29, Zorn received the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur at the 1889 Paris World Fair.