The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise

The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise (1791) is a large oil painting by the American-born British artist Benjamin West (1738–1820), a founding figure of the Royal Academy who served as its second president after Sir Joshua Reynolds ^[1]. The work exists in multiple versions: the primary canvas, now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, measures 186.8 × 278.1 cm and was dated 1791, with the artist retouching it in 1803 ^[3][4]. A smaller version, also dated 1791, is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington ^[6], while a related drawing in gouache and brown ink over graphite on blue paper is in the Harvard Art Museums ^[5].

Provenance: the 1829 sale and the Harding Collection

The Art Institute of Chicago canvas descended directly from the artist: after West's death in 1820, it passed to his sons, Raphael Lamar West and Benjamin West Jr., who sold it at the Robins auction house in London on May 22–25, 1829, as lot no. 88, to a buyer named Hayes for 43 guineas ^[4]. The painting subsequently entered the collection of Samuel Putnam Avery, who sold it to Thomas B. Clarke of New York by 1891; Clarke's collection was auctioned at the American Art Galleries in February 1899, where Harry W. Watrous purchased it for $200 ^[4]. The work was later acquired through the George F. Harding Collection by the Art Institute of Chicago ^[4].

Date	Event	Owner/Buyer	Price
1791	Painting completed	Benjamin West	—
1829	Robins sale, London, lot 88	Hayes	43 guineas
by 1891	Sold by Avery	Thomas B. Clarke	—
1899	American Art Galleries sale, no. 355	Harry W. Watrous	$200
—	Acquired	George F. Harding Collection	—

Technique: oil, gouache, and the 1803 retouching

West executed the primary version in oil on canvas, a medium he used throughout his career as a history painter ^[4][6]. The Art Institute records that the artist retouched the painting in 1803, three years after his appointment as historical painter to the court of King George III ^[1][4]. A related study at Harvard demonstrates West's working process in a different medium: gouache and brown ink over graphite on darkened blue antique laid paper, measuring 23 × 32.4 cm ^[5]. The existence of multiple versions and a preparatory drawing indicates that West treated the subject as a significant composition worthy of repetition, a common practice among history painters of the period.

Iconography: the moment of banishment

The painting depicts the biblical narrative of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, a subject with deep roots in Western religious art. West, who "also painted religious subjects" throughout his career, approached this scene as a history painting rather than a mere devotional image ^[1]. The large scale of the Chicago canvas—nearly two meters high and almost three meters wide—suggests West intended the work for public display and moral contemplation ^[3]. The subject allowed West to explore the emotional consequences of disobedience, a theme consistent with the Enlightenment emphasis on reason and moral reflection that shaped his artistic philosophy ^[1].

Exhibitions: from the Royal Academy to the World's Columbian Exposition

The painting was exhibited publicly on multiple occasions during and after West's lifetime. It appeared at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1805, no. 86, and at West's Gallery in 1822, no. 73 ^[4]. After crossing the Atlantic, it was shown at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1891 as part of the Thomas B. Clarke Collection of American Pictures, and at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 in the Exhibit of Private Collections, no. 2861b ^[4]. The Brooklyn Museum also featured it in an exhibition of paintings and drawings by West ^[4].

Related works: versions and studies

In addition to the Chicago canvas, the National Gallery of Art holds a version of The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise also dated 1791 and executed in oil on canvas ^[6]. The Harvard drawing, dated to the 18th–19th century, represents a preparatory study in a different medium ^[5]. These multiple iterations demonstrate West's sustained engagement with the subject over several years, from the initial graphite and gouache sketch to the large finished oil and its smaller replica ^[4][5][6].

Frequently asked questions

Where is the painting located today?

The primary version of The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise is in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, acquired through the George F. Harding Collection ^[4]. A second oil version dated 1791 is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington ^[6].

When was the painting created, and was it modified later?

The painting was created in 1791, and West retouched it in 1803 ^[4]. The Art Institute records both dates, indicating that the artist returned to the canvas more than a decade after its initial completion ^[4].

What medium and dimensions does the primary version use?

The Art Institute of Chicago version is an oil on canvas measuring 186.8 × 278.1 cm (approximately 73.5 × 109.5 inches) ^[3][4]. A related study at Harvard is executed in gouache and brown ink over graphite on blue paper, measuring 23 × 32.4 cm ^[5].