Portrait of the Artist`s Brother with Hat

Félix Vallotton executed this portrait of his brother Paul wearing a hat around 1888. The work belongs to his early Realist period, before he joined the Nabis group in 1892 and developed his later style of flat colors and bold outlines. At this stage, Vallotton focused on direct observation and careful rendering.

Paul and Félix came from a modest Protestant family in Lausanne, on the shores of Lake Geneva. Félix had moved to Paris in 1882 at age sixteen to study at the Académie Julian. In 1887, he exhibited his first two portrait paintings at the Salon, though criticism from his mentor led him to distance himself from the academy.

The brothers remained connected throughout their lives. Paul later became an art dealer, founding the Galerie Paul Vallotton in Lausanne in 1922. The gallery continued under his descendants for many years, helping to preserve and promote his brother's legacy.

After joining the Nabis, Félix earned the nickname "The Foreign Nabi" because of his Swiss origins. His colleagues included Pierre Bonnard, Maurice Denis, and Édouard Vuillard, who became a lifelong friend. This early portrait of Paul shows Vallotton's skill before his stylistic transformation. The oil on canvas measures 76 by 61 centimeters and is held at the Galerie Vallotton in Lausanne.