Impressionism - Edgar Degas, At the Races in the Countryside / Sur le champ de courses (Les courses), 1869, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 1931 Purchase Fund, Photograph © 2023 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Edgar Degas, "At the Races in the Countryside / Sur le champ de courses (Les courses)," 1869, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 1931 Purchase Fund, Photograph © 2023 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

How did Impressionism begin? Discover the origins of the French art movement in a new look at the radical 1874 exhibition considered the birth of modern painting.

“Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment”
National Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C.
www.nga.gov
September 8, 2024 – January 19, 2025

Jean-Léon Gérôme, L’Eminence Grise, 1873, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Bequest of Susan Cornelia Warren. Photograph © 2023 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Jean-Léon Gérôme, “L’Eminence Grise,” 1873, oil on canvas, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Bequest of Susan Cornelia Warren. Photograph © 2023 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

From the museum:

A remarkable presentation of 130 works includes a rare reunion of many of the paintings first featured in that now-legendary exhibition. Revisit beloved paintings by Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, and Camille Pissarro and meet their lesser-known contemporaries. See the art norms they were rebelling against and learn what political and social shifts sparked their new approach to art.

Zacharie Astruc, Scène de somnambulisme, 1871, watercolor, Collection Musée de l'Opéra de Vichy
Zacharie Astruc, “Scène de somnambulisme,” 1871, watercolor, Collection Musée de l’Opéra de Vichy

Impressionism is one of the most recognizable art movements in the world today, but it was revolutionary in its time. Originating in France in 1874, it was rejected by critics at first—only later embraced as a national symbol.

In the mid-19th century, France saw rapid technological and social changes. Gathering in cafés to discuss these societal transformations, the impressionists found opportunities for liberation. They changed the way they painted, in both subject matter and technique. They also met to discuss how, when, and where to exhibit their art.

Impressionism - Auguste Renoir, La Loge (The Theater Box), 1874, oil on canvas, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) Photo © The Courtauld
Auguste Renoir, “La Loge (The Theater Box),” 1874, oil on canvas, The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust) Photo © The Courtauld

Don’t miss the unique chance to immerse yourself in the dynamic Parisian art scene of 1874—we are the only American stop for this historic exhibition.

View more art museum announcements here at FineArtConnoisseur.com.


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