Women of Algiers

Eugène Delacroix painted this Women of Algiers in Their Apartment in 1834, after returning from a diplomatic mission to North Africa. During a brief stop in Algeria, a merchant granted Delacroix rare access to his household's private harem. The artist made quick sketches that he later developed into this oil painting in Paris.

Four women recline in a lavishly decorated room, their clothing and jewelry rendered in rich detail. Unlike typical Orientalist paintings, Delacroix avoided objectifying titles like "odalisque." The Romantic work caused a sensation at the 1834 Paris Salon. King Louis Philippe purchased it immediately.

The painting influenced generations of artists. Van Gogh and Gauguin traveled to Montpellier in 1888 specifically to see Delacroix's second version from 1849. Picasso created his own Women of Algiers series in 1954-55, which sold for a record $175 million. The original hangs at the Louvre Museum in Paris.