The Little Pastry Cook
Chaïm Soutine · 1922
Why it's great
A boy in a white cook's uniform sits stiffly with his hands in his lap, painted in thick white and blue strokes. Soutine painted waiters, cooks and bellboys in Paris, with strong, emotional style. The wavy lines make the white clothes look almost alive. It's one of his best-known portraits.
Where to see it
📍 Musée de l'OrangerieParis, France
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Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
These links open search results on each shop's own website; we don't sell anything or earn a commission, and print quality varies by seller. Ask a grown-up before you buy anything.
Chaïm Soutine was born into a poor Jewish family in a small village in what is now Belarus. He moved to Paris in 1913, where he lived and painted in a crowded artists' colony and became close friends with Modigliani. His wild, twisting paintings of waiters, pastry cooks and landscapes made him famous. He died in Paris in 1943, during the German occupation.
