The Card Players (Met version)

Paul Cézanne painted five versions of The Card Players between 1890 and 1895. This Met version shows two Provençal peasants absorbed in their game. Their bodies form solid geometric masses, almost architectural in their stillness.

Cézanne sought to make Impressionism something "solid and durable, like the art of the museums." These card players exemplify his late style: simplified forms, muted earth tones, and monumental presence from ordinary subjects. One version sold in 2011 for over $250 million. It hangs at the Metropolitan Museum.