Carol Vogel records the sale of a Vuillard to New York’s Jewish Museum:

The Jewish Museum in New York went shopping in London last week, where it bought a 1913 painting by Vuillard at Christie’s. “Lucie Hessel Lisant” (Lucie Hessel Reading) is an intimate scene of the artist’s muse at a table in her bedroom. A mirror in the background reflects an outdoor scene, making it a picture within a picture.

Lucie Hessel was the wife of Jos Hessel, the original owner of the painting and one of Vuillard’s dealers. The painting is the first by the artist to enter the museum’s collection, sealing a gap that curators there say they have been hoping to fill for years. […] The museum paid $464,430 for the painting, well above its $288,554 high estimate. The money was provided by a patron who wishes to remain anonymous.

Inside Art: Jewish Museum Buys a Vuillard (New York Times)