Edouard MANET (1832-1883)
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Self portrait II Cities Paris Venice Sport in art Origins of sports Horse
Chronology : 1860-1869 1870-1879 1878 1880-1889 1880 1881 1882
See also : Self portrait II Cities Paris Venice Sport in art Origins of sports Horse
Chronology : 1860-1869 1870-1879 1878 1880-1889 1880 1881 1882
Intro
Édouard Manet's Life: Psychological Insights
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) was born into a wealthy, upper-class Parisian family. His father, a high-ranking judge, expected him to pursue law or a naval career, but Manet rebelled by failing naval exams twice before convincing his family to support his artistic ambitions. This early defiance suggests a personality marked by independence and resistance to conventional expectations, yet he remained socially connected, frequenting cafés and seeking Salon acceptance despite repeated rejections.
Manet's character blended conformity and rebellion: he desired institutional recognition while challenging norms through provocative subjects. Biographers describe him as charismatic yet detached, influenced by Baudelaire's call for the "painter of modern life." His works often reveal psychological complexity—capturing urban alienation, fragmented social interactions, and unidealized human behavior—mirroring the disorientation of rapid modernization in Haussmann's Paris.
Later in life, suffering from syphilis leading to amputation and death at 51, Manet turned to introspective still lifes, conveying emotional depth through simple forms.
Psychological Themes in Manet's Art
Manet's paintings frequently explore psychological tension through direct gazes, emotional detachment, and modern urban life's ambiguities. He stripped away idealization, presenting figures with raw naturalism that exposed inner states—alienation, defiance, or melancholy—rather than heroic narratives.
Key works highlight these interpretations:
Édouard Manet (1832–1883) was born into a wealthy, upper-class Parisian family. His father, a high-ranking judge, expected him to pursue law or a naval career, but Manet rebelled by failing naval exams twice before convincing his family to support his artistic ambitions. This early defiance suggests a personality marked by independence and resistance to conventional expectations, yet he remained socially connected, frequenting cafés and seeking Salon acceptance despite repeated rejections.
Manet's character blended conformity and rebellion: he desired institutional recognition while challenging norms through provocative subjects. Biographers describe him as charismatic yet detached, influenced by Baudelaire's call for the "painter of modern life." His works often reveal psychological complexity—capturing urban alienation, fragmented social interactions, and unidealized human behavior—mirroring the disorientation of rapid modernization in Haussmann's Paris.
Later in life, suffering from syphilis leading to amputation and death at 51, Manet turned to introspective still lifes, conveying emotional depth through simple forms.
Psychological Themes in Manet's Art
Manet's paintings frequently explore psychological tension through direct gazes, emotional detachment, and modern urban life's ambiguities. He stripped away idealization, presenting figures with raw naturalism that exposed inner states—alienation, defiance, or melancholy—rather than heroic narratives.
Key works highlight these interpretations:
- Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Luncheon on the Grass, 1863): A nude woman picnics casually with clothed men, defying conventions. Psychologically, it evokes incongruity and detachment: figures ignore each other, symbolizing social disconnection and modern alienation. The woman's direct gaze challenges the viewer, implicating them in the scene's impropriety and questioning voyeurism.
- Olympia (1863): A nude prostitute stares boldly at the viewer, hand blocking access, with a black cat symbolizing promiscuity. This confrontational gaze creates psychological unease, reversing the male gaze and asserting female agency. It reflects themes of commodified sexuality, class tensions, and urban anonymity, evoking viewer discomfort over desire and power dynamics.
- A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882): A barmaid's melancholic expression amid a mirrored crowd suggests isolation and disconnection. The distorted reflection creates ambiguity, symbolizing fragmented identity and the illusory nature of modern spectacle. It captures psychological exhaustion in urban entertainment.
Édouard Manet's collaborations were primarily artistic friendships, mutual influences, and creative exchanges rather than literal joint paintings (Manet rarely co-created canvases with others). As a pivotal figure bridging Realism and Impressionism, Manet maintained close ties with emerging Impressionists in the 1860s–1880s, often through shared social circles in Paris (cafés like the Café Guerbois), mutual modeling, portrait exchanges, and reciprocal inspiration. He never fully joined the Impressionist group exhibitions but was a mentor-like figure and catalyst for their innovations in modern subject matter, loose brushwork, and contemporary life themes.
Primary Collaborations and Relationships
With Berthe Morisot (1868–1883)
Manet's most documented and intimate artistic exchange was with Berthe Morisot, a key female Impressionist. They met in 1868 through mutual friend Henri Fantin-Latour at the Louvre. Morisot posed for Manet nearly a dozen times (1868–1874), appearing in major works like The Balcony (1868–1869), Repose (portrait of Berthe Morisot, 1869–1870), and others. These portraits capture her intelligence and modernity, often with a bold, direct gaze.
Manet and Edgar Degas met around 1861–1862 at the Louvre, bonding over shared interests in modern life, Japanese prints, and Realism. Both from affluent backgrounds, they socialized in avant-garde circles with writers like Émile Zola and Baudelaire.
Manet's "collaborations" were catalytic friendships that advanced modernism: rejecting academic norms for contemporary subjects, flat color areas, and direct observation. He influenced Impressionism profoundly while remaining independent (exhibiting at Salons rather than Impressionist shows). No major joint canvases exist, but his portraits, shared motifs, and dialogues shaped the movement. Today, these relationships are celebrated in major retrospectives emphasizing artistic exchange over isolation.Here are representative artworks illustrating these key collaborations:These include Manet's portraits of Morisot (The Balcony, Repose), Degas' portrait of the Manets, and Fantin-Latour's group scene featuring Manet—highlighting the interpersonal dynamics that fueled their innovations.
Primary Collaborations and Relationships
With Berthe Morisot (1868–1883)
Manet's most documented and intimate artistic exchange was with Berthe Morisot, a key female Impressionist. They met in 1868 through mutual friend Henri Fantin-Latour at the Louvre. Morisot posed for Manet nearly a dozen times (1868–1874), appearing in major works like The Balcony (1868–1869), Repose (portrait of Berthe Morisot, 1869–1870), and others. These portraits capture her intelligence and modernity, often with a bold, direct gaze.
- Mutual Influence — Manet encouraged Morisot's plein air work and lighter palette; she pushed him toward looser brushwork and more atmospheric effects. Morisot collected Manet's works, and he hers. Their relationship was complex—professional admiration mixed with personal tension (some accounts suggest flirtation or unrequited feelings)—and deepened when Morisot married Manet's brother Eugène in 1874.
- Breakthrough — This exchange helped both evolve: Manet toward Impressionist lightness, Morisot toward greater confidence in exhibiting publicly.
- Legacy — Recent exhibitions (e.g., Manet & Morisot at the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 2025; Cleveland Museum of Art) highlight their creative spark as central to Impressionism's development.
Manet and Edgar Degas met around 1861–1862 at the Louvre, bonding over shared interests in modern life, Japanese prints, and Realism. Both from affluent backgrounds, they socialized in avant-garde circles with writers like Émile Zola and Baudelaire.
- Artistic Exchange — They influenced each other in depicting urban scenes, racecourses, and portraits. Degas painted Monsieur and Madame Édouard Manet (1868–1869), but Manet disliked the depiction of his wife and reportedly cut or damaged part of it (a famously petty incident). This soured their friendship, though mutual respect persisted.
- Rivalry and Inspiration — They competed as innovators—Manet with bold Salon submissions, Degas with unconventional compositions. Their relationship exemplified the competitive energy driving modern painting.
- Legacy — Exhibitions like Manet/Degas (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023) explore this "long, petty friendship" as defining modern art through rivalry and shared vision.
- Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir — Manet summered near them (e.g., Gennevilliers/Argenteuil in the 1870s), sharing plein air outings and discussions. He painted Boating (1874) in a style echoing their lighter touch, and they admired his modernity (Monet called him the "father of Impressionism").
- Henri Fantin-Latour — A close friend who introduced Manet to Morisot and included him in group portraits like Homage to Delacroix (1864) and A Studio in the Batignolles (1870), which depicted Manet surrounded by admirers (Renoir, Monet, Zola).
- Broader Circle — Manet interacted with Pissarro, Sisley, and others at cafés, fostering the Impressionist milieu without direct co-authorship.
Manet's "collaborations" were catalytic friendships that advanced modernism: rejecting academic norms for contemporary subjects, flat color areas, and direct observation. He influenced Impressionism profoundly while remaining independent (exhibiting at Salons rather than Impressionist shows). No major joint canvases exist, but his portraits, shared motifs, and dialogues shaped the movement. Today, these relationships are celebrated in major retrospectives emphasizing artistic exchange over isolation.Here are representative artworks illustrating these key collaborations:These include Manet's portraits of Morisot (The Balcony, Repose), Degas' portrait of the Manets, and Fantin-Latour's group scene featuring Manet—highlighting the interpersonal dynamics that fueled their innovations.
Édouard Manet's influences from Diego Velázquez were profound and lifelong, shaping his revolutionary approach to painting in the 1860s and beyond. Manet, often called the "father of modern art," deeply admired the 17th-century Spanish master Diego Velázquez (1599–1660), whom he regarded as the greatest painter. This admiration crystallized during Manet's pivotal trip to Spain in 1865, where he visited the Prado Museum in Madrid and studied Velázquez's works firsthand. He copied several paintings there and wrote enthusiastically about Velázquez's mastery, noting how his figures seemed surrounded by "nothing but air" and how his brushwork created astonishing vitality with apparent simplicity.
Manet had already been drawn to Velázquez earlier through copies at the Louvre and the growing French fascination with Spanish Golden Age art (fueled by Romanticism, travel, and collections). Velázquez's influence helped Manet break from academic conventions, embracing a modern, direct, and flattened style that bridged Realism and Impressionism.
Key Aspects of Velázquez's Influence on Manet
Manet paid explicit homage in several works:
The 2003 exhibition Manet/Velázquez: The French Taste for Spanish Painting (Metropolitan Museum of Art and Musée d'Orsay) documented this influence extensively, showing how Manet's encounter with Velázquez (and Spanish art generally) helped shift French taste toward bolder, less sentimental painting. Manet absorbed Velázquez's lessons to create a distinctly modern idiom—contemporary subjects rendered with old-master authority but without idealization.This influence was catalytic: it empowered Manet to challenge Salon norms, prioritize optical sensation and personal vision, and inspire the next generation (Impressionists like Monet admired his "Spanish" directness). Velázquez remained a touchstone for Manet throughout his career, symbolizing technical mastery and timeless relevance.Here are representative examples highlighting the visual parallels:These include Velázquez's The Buffoon Pablo de Valladolid alongside Manet's The Tragic Actor, Velázquez's Aesop with Manet's philosopher figures, and details from The Fifer and Luncheon in the Studio showing shared brushwork, tonal drama, and figure isolation.
Manet had already been drawn to Velázquez earlier through copies at the Louvre and the growing French fascination with Spanish Golden Age art (fueled by Romanticism, travel, and collections). Velázquez's influence helped Manet break from academic conventions, embracing a modern, direct, and flattened style that bridged Realism and Impressionism.
Key Aspects of Velázquez's Influence on Manet
- Bold, loose brushwork and visible technique — Velázquez's fluid, economical strokes and avoidance of meticulous detail inspired Manet's adoption of a freer, more alla prima (wet-on-wet) manner. Manet used slashing, visible brushstrokes to suggest form rather than delineate it precisely, creating a sense of immediacy and modernity.
- Tonal restraint and black as a color — Velázquez's muted palettes, rich blacks, and subtle gradations influenced Manet's dramatic use of black (often in outlines or backgrounds) and his preference for strong contrasts over harmonious Impressionist hues. Manet's blacks were glossier and more assertive, turning Velázquez's matte tones into a Parisian "fashion."
- Spatial ambiguity and "air" around figures — Manet echoed Velázquez's ability to place figures in shallow, atmospheric space, often against neutral or dark backgrounds, making subjects appear detached yet vivid. This contributed to Manet's flattened compositions and rejection of deep perspective.
- Direct, confrontational portraiture — Both artists excelled at capturing psychological presence and dignity in everyday or humble subjects (e.g., Velázquez's buffoons and philosophers vs. Manet's modern Parisians).
- Thematic borrowing and homage — Manet directly referenced or reinterpreted Velázquez's motifs, adapting them to contemporary life.
Manet paid explicit homage in several works:
- The Tragic Actor (Rouvière as Hamlet) (1865–1866) — Inspired by Velázquez's The Buffoon Pablo de Valladolid (c. 1632–1635), both feature a full-length figure in black costume against a neutral ground, isolated and theatrical.
- The Dead Toreador (1864) and The Fifer (1866) — These demonstrate Manet's flat painting style, with minimal modeling and bold outlines echoing Velázquez's economy and spatial shallowness.
- Philosophers (or The Beggar Philosophers, 1865–1870) — Directly modeled after Velázquez's Aesop and Menippus (c. 1638), Manet juxtaposed beggar-like figures in similar poses and lighting to evoke Velázquez's world-weary dignity.
- Luncheon in the Studio (1868) — The central boy figure and still-life elements draw from Velázquez's compositional clarity and atmospheric handling (some analyses also note echoes of Vermeer, but Velázquez's influence is evident in the detached, contemplative mood).
- Broader echoes appear in Olympia (1863) and other nudes/portraits through confident, economical strokes and bold contrasts, though more tied to Goya and Titian overall—Velázquez's impact is subtler in brushwork and presence.
The 2003 exhibition Manet/Velázquez: The French Taste for Spanish Painting (Metropolitan Museum of Art and Musée d'Orsay) documented this influence extensively, showing how Manet's encounter with Velázquez (and Spanish art generally) helped shift French taste toward bolder, less sentimental painting. Manet absorbed Velázquez's lessons to create a distinctly modern idiom—contemporary subjects rendered with old-master authority but without idealization.This influence was catalytic: it empowered Manet to challenge Salon norms, prioritize optical sensation and personal vision, and inspire the next generation (Impressionists like Monet admired his "Spanish" directness). Velázquez remained a touchstone for Manet throughout his career, symbolizing technical mastery and timeless relevance.Here are representative examples highlighting the visual parallels:These include Velázquez's The Buffoon Pablo de Valladolid alongside Manet's The Tragic Actor, Velázquez's Aesop with Manet's philosopher figures, and details from The Fifer and Luncheon in the Studio showing shared brushwork, tonal drama, and figure isolation.
Édouard Manet's influences from Francisco Goya were significant, particularly in the realms of bold social commentary, dramatic composition, stark realism, and innovative printmaking. While Manet drew heavily from Diego Velázquez for technical mastery (brushwork, tonal restraint, and figure isolation), Francisco Goya (1746–1828) provided a model for confronting modernity, violence, and human experience with unflinching directness. Manet admired Goya's ability to blend tradition with radical innovation—Goya as a bridge between Enlightenment ideals and modern critique—and incorporated echoes of his work into paintings that challenged 19th-century French academic norms.
Manet never visited Spain specifically to study Goya (unlike his 1865 trip focused on Velázquez at the Prado), but he encountered Goya's art through prints, copies, and the growing French interest in Spanish Golden Age and Romantic masters. Goya's etchings (especially Los Caprichos and The Disasters of War) and paintings were widely circulated in Paris, influencing Manet profoundly in subject matter and attitude toward contemporary life.
Key Aspects of Goya's Influence on Manet
Exhibitions like Manet's Goya. Prints (SMK, Copenhagen, 2014) and Goya and Manet (Clark Art Institute) have highlighted these connections, especially in prints where Manet's admiration is explicit. Goya's influence helped Manet forge a path to modernism: using old-master authority to depict unflattering modern realities, paving the way for Impressionism and beyond. Later artists like Picasso (who also revered Goya) built on this lineage.Manet's synthesis of Goya's dramatic realism and social edge with Velázquez's technical poise created a distinctly modern idiom—contemporary subjects rendered with historical gravitas but without sentimentality.
Representative examples illustrating the visual and thematic parallels include Goya's La Maja desnuda alongside Manet's Olympia, Goya's The Third of May 1808 with Manet's Execution of Emperor Maximilian, and details from both artists' works showing shared dramatic lighting, direct gazes, and bold contrasts.
Manet never visited Spain specifically to study Goya (unlike his 1865 trip focused on Velázquez at the Prado), but he encountered Goya's art through prints, copies, and the growing French interest in Spanish Golden Age and Romantic masters. Goya's etchings (especially Los Caprichos and The Disasters of War) and paintings were widely circulated in Paris, influencing Manet profoundly in subject matter and attitude toward contemporary life.
Key Aspects of Goya's Influence on Manet
- Social critique and modernity — Both artists depicted "la vie moderne" with unflinching realism. Goya's satirical prints and war scenes critiqued society and power; Manet applied similar boldness to urban Paris, prostitution, and politics, rejecting idealization.
- Dramatic lighting and stark contrasts — Goya's tenebrism (strong chiaroscuro) and dramatic spotlighting influenced Manet's use of bold contrasts, flat areas of color, and theatrical staging.
- Printmaking and graphic innovation — Manet produced etchings and lithographs inspired by Goya's graphic works, adopting his loose, expressive line and satirical edge.
- Themes of execution, war, and atrocity — Goya's unflinching portrayal of violence shaped Manet's approach to modern political tragedy.
- Olympia (1863) — Manet's most notorious work draws heavily from Goya's La Maja desnuda (c. 1797–1800) and La Maja vestida. Both feature a reclining nude woman gazing directly at the viewer with confident, confrontational sexuality. Goya's Maja was scandalous for its realism and implied prostitution; Manet amplified this by modernizing the subject into a contemporary Parisian courtesan, stripping away mythological veneer, adding a Black maid and bouquet, and using flat, unmodeled forms. The direct stare and bold nudity echo Goya's subversive take on the classical reclining nude tradition (e.g., from Titian).
- The Execution of Emperor Maximilian (multiple versions, 1867–1869) — Directly inspired by Goya's The Third of May 1808 (1814). Both depict firing-squad executions with raw immediacy: Goya's dramatic central figure against a dark sky, arms raised in crucifixion-like pose; Manet's cooler, more detached modern scene (a French-backed Mexican emperor shot by his own troops). Manet adapts Goya's composition and emotional charge but updates it to contemporary politics, emphasizing administrative banality over heroic tragedy.
- Other echoes — Works like The Dead Toreador (1864) reflect Goya's bullfighting scenes and dramatic fallen figures. Manet's prints (e.g., his series on war and modern life) show Goya's graphic influence in line work and social bite.
Exhibitions like Manet's Goya. Prints (SMK, Copenhagen, 2014) and Goya and Manet (Clark Art Institute) have highlighted these connections, especially in prints where Manet's admiration is explicit. Goya's influence helped Manet forge a path to modernism: using old-master authority to depict unflattering modern realities, paving the way for Impressionism and beyond. Later artists like Picasso (who also revered Goya) built on this lineage.Manet's synthesis of Goya's dramatic realism and social edge with Velázquez's technical poise created a distinctly modern idiom—contemporary subjects rendered with historical gravitas but without sentimentality.
Representative examples illustrating the visual and thematic parallels include Goya's La Maja desnuda alongside Manet's Olympia, Goya's The Third of May 1808 with Manet's Execution of Emperor Maximilian, and details from both artists' works showing shared dramatic lighting, direct gazes, and bold contrasts.
Édouard Manet's Japonisme
Édouard Manet (1832–1883), often regarded as the pivotal figure bridging Realism and Impressionism, was among the earliest major French artists to engage deeply with Japonisme—the fascination with Japanese art and culture that swept Paris after Japan's reopening to the West in the 1850s. Manet was not only a collector of ukiyo-e woodblock prints but also one of the first to incorporate their aesthetic principles into his paintings, helping pave the way for the Impressionists and modern art's rejection of traditional perspective, modeling, and academic finish.
Manet encountered Japanese prints through Paris shops (like La Porte Chinoise), the 1867 Exposition Universelle, and personal collections. He admired their flat color planes, bold outlines, asymmetrical compositions, cropped views, everyday subjects, and decorative patterns—qualities that aligned with his own interest in modern life, direct observation, and flattened pictorial space.
Key Characteristics of Manet's Japonisme
Broader Impact and Legacy
Manet was hailed as the "first major painter to create artworks in response to ukiyo-e prints," using them to depict contemporary Paris as a "floating world" of cafés, outings, and urban life—much as Japanese artists captured Edo. His Japonisme helped flatten pictorial space, prioritize color and line over illusionistic depth, and embrace modernity, influencing Impressionists like Monet, Degas, and Cassatt.Manet's approach was less devotional than Van Gogh's or symbolic than Gauguin's; it was pragmatic and integrated, serving his goal of a new, direct realism. This cross-cultural dialogue remains central to understanding how Japonisme catalyzed modernism, with Manet as a key early adopter.
Édouard Manet (1832–1883), often regarded as the pivotal figure bridging Realism and Impressionism, was among the earliest major French artists to engage deeply with Japonisme—the fascination with Japanese art and culture that swept Paris after Japan's reopening to the West in the 1850s. Manet was not only a collector of ukiyo-e woodblock prints but also one of the first to incorporate their aesthetic principles into his paintings, helping pave the way for the Impressionists and modern art's rejection of traditional perspective, modeling, and academic finish.
Manet encountered Japanese prints through Paris shops (like La Porte Chinoise), the 1867 Exposition Universelle, and personal collections. He admired their flat color planes, bold outlines, asymmetrical compositions, cropped views, everyday subjects, and decorative patterns—qualities that aligned with his own interest in modern life, direct observation, and flattened pictorial space.
Key Characteristics of Manet's Japonisme
- Flatness and bold contours — Manet adopted ukiyo-e's lack of chiaroscuro (deep shading) and emphasis on strong lines and pure color areas, creating a graphic, modern look.
- Unconventional cropping and perspectives — Abrupt framing, off-center elements, and close-up views evoke the snapshot-like immediacy of Japanese prints.
- Everyday and contemporary subjects — Like ukiyo-e's "floating world" of urban pleasures, Manet depicted Parisian life (cafés, boating, portraits) with decorative appeal.
- Decorative motifs — Japanese screens, fans, prints, and objects appear as props, signaling cultural sophistication and avant-garde taste.
- Portrait of Émile Zola (1868, Musée d'Orsay) — A landmark of early Japonisme. Zola, Manet's defender, sits amid symbols of their shared interests: a Japanese screen (paravent) on the left, an ukiyo-e print of a sumo wrestler (by Utagawa Kuniaki II) pinned to the wall, and a reproduction of Manet's Olympia. The flat black background, strong outlines, and compressed space reflect ukiyo-e flatness and bold color blocks.
- Boating (1874, Metropolitan Museum of Art) — This concise river scene exemplifies lessons from Japanese prints: abrupt cropping of the boat and sail, flat color areas, and a sense of immediacy that captures modern leisure without deep perspective.
- The Fifer (1866, Musée d'Orsay) — The boy's bold, outlined figure against a minimal background and the flat, bright colors echo ukiyo-e's graphic style and simplified forms.
Broader Impact and Legacy
Manet was hailed as the "first major painter to create artworks in response to ukiyo-e prints," using them to depict contemporary Paris as a "floating world" of cafés, outings, and urban life—much as Japanese artists captured Edo. His Japonisme helped flatten pictorial space, prioritize color and line over illusionistic depth, and embrace modernity, influencing Impressionists like Monet, Degas, and Cassatt.Manet's approach was less devotional than Van Gogh's or symbolic than Gauguin's; it was pragmatic and integrated, serving his goal of a new, direct realism. This cross-cultural dialogue remains central to understanding how Japonisme catalyzed modernism, with Manet as a key early adopter.
1860 L'Italienne
2018 SOLD for $ 11M by Christie's
By rejecting the classical teaching of Thomas Couture, the young Edouard Manet triggered the modernism in French painting. He was inspired in the Louvre by the masterpieces of Velazquez and Titian which he applied to low level subjects such as the absinthe addict, one of the first of his works to attract fame by horrifying the bourgeois, and rejected by the 1859 Salon.
Another preferred theme was the Spanish characters in bright colors over a dark background in the manner of Velazquez. In the same style, l'Italienne, oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm, depicts at mid length a 19 year old artist's model from Ancona. The rosy cheeked young woman is dressed in a fancy Mediterranean garb drawn by the artist from his basket of clothes.
L'Italienne was sold for $ 11M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Christie's on May 15, 2018, lot 29A.
Monet's breakthrough in the Salon was Le Chanteur Espagnol, accepted in 1861 and favorably commented by Fantin-Latour and Baudelaire.
Another preferred theme was the Spanish characters in bright colors over a dark background in the manner of Velazquez. In the same style, l'Italienne, oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm, depicts at mid length a 19 year old artist's model from Ancona. The rosy cheeked young woman is dressed in a fancy Mediterranean garb drawn by the artist from his basket of clothes.
L'Italienne was sold for $ 11M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Christie's on May 15, 2018, lot 29A.
Monet's breakthrough in the Salon was Le Chanteur Espagnol, accepted in 1861 and favorably commented by Fantin-Latour and Baudelaire.
masterpiece
1863 Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe
Musée d'Orsay
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Édouard Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Luncheon on the Grass) (1862–1863, oil on canvas, 208 × 264.5 cm) is a landmark painting that helped launch modern art. Originally titled Le Bain (The Bath), it was rejected by the official Paris Salon jury in 1863 but exhibited at the inaugural Salon des Refusés (Salon of the Refused), where it became the center of intense public controversy and ridicule.
The large-scale composition depicts a picnic in a wooded landscape: two fully dressed bourgeois men (one modeled after Manet's brothers-in-law, the other possibly poet Zacharie Astruc) sit casually on the grass, engaged in conversation—one gesturing emphatically. Between them sits a completely nude woman (modeled by Victorine Meurent, Manet's frequent muse), gazing directly and impassively at the viewer with her chin resting on her hand. In the background, a second woman (also nude or scantily clad) bathes in a stream, bending over with her back turned. The foreground includes a still-life picnic spread: basket of fruit, bread, wine, discarded clothing, and a hat, rendered with crisp realism.
Why the Scandal Was So Profound
The outrage stemmed not from nudity itself (nudes were common in academic art) but from the context and execution:
Artistic Sources and Influences
Manet openly referenced Renaissance masters to subvert tradition:
Legacy and Connection to Later Works
Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe preceded and set the stage for Olympia (also 1863, exhibited 1865), sharing the model Victorine Meurent and confrontational realism. Both were pivotal in challenging academic norms, influencing Impressionists (e.g., Monet's own Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe series as a more pastoral response) and paving the way for modernism's focus on everyday subjects, psychological tension, and viewer engagement. Housed today at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, it remains a symbol of artistic rebellion—often called "ground zero" for modern art—transforming scandal into enduring innovation.
Édouard Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Luncheon on the Grass) (1862–1863, oil on canvas, 208 × 264.5 cm) is a landmark painting that helped launch modern art. Originally titled Le Bain (The Bath), it was rejected by the official Paris Salon jury in 1863 but exhibited at the inaugural Salon des Refusés (Salon of the Refused), where it became the center of intense public controversy and ridicule.
The large-scale composition depicts a picnic in a wooded landscape: two fully dressed bourgeois men (one modeled after Manet's brothers-in-law, the other possibly poet Zacharie Astruc) sit casually on the grass, engaged in conversation—one gesturing emphatically. Between them sits a completely nude woman (modeled by Victorine Meurent, Manet's frequent muse), gazing directly and impassively at the viewer with her chin resting on her hand. In the background, a second woman (also nude or scantily clad) bathes in a stream, bending over with her back turned. The foreground includes a still-life picnic spread: basket of fruit, bread, wine, discarded clothing, and a hat, rendered with crisp realism.
Why the Scandal Was So Profound
The outrage stemmed not from nudity itself (nudes were common in academic art) but from the context and execution:
- Juxtaposition of naked and clothed figures in a contemporary setting — Traditional nudes appeared in mythological, allegorical, or classical scenes (e.g., Venuses or bathers as timeless ideals). Here, the nude woman is unmistakably modern—a real Parisian woman (possibly evoking a courtesan or mistress) picnicking casually with clothed men in everyday bourgeois attire. This collapsed the boundary between high art and vulgar reality, implying prostitution, casual sex, or moral laxity without mythological justification.
- The woman's direct, confrontational gaze — She stares out unflinchingly, implicating the (male) viewer as voyeur or participant, reversing passive objectification.
- Formal radicalism — Manet's flat, unmodulated brushwork, sharp contrasts, lack of depth modeling, and abrupt spatial shifts made the figures appear "unfinished" or crude to conservative eyes. The painting ignored academic polish, prioritizing bold realism over idealized beauty.
- Social hypocrisy exposed — In Second Empire Paris, it highlighted bourgeois double standards: men could enjoy such outings, but depicting them openly challenged propriety. Critics called it "vulgar," "immoral," "indecent," a "riddle," or even obscene; crowds mocked it, and it was seen as a deliberate affront.
Artistic Sources and Influences
Manet openly referenced Renaissance masters to subvert tradition:
- Titian's (or Giorgione's) Pastoral Concert (c. 1510, Louvre) — The seated clothed men and nude female figures in a landscape echo this, but Manet updates it to the present, stripping away allegory.
- Raphael's Judgment of Paris (via Marcantonio Raimondi's engraving) — The central trio's poses derive from this, with the nude woman adapting the reclining figure.
Legacy and Connection to Later Works
Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe preceded and set the stage for Olympia (also 1863, exhibited 1865), sharing the model Victorine Meurent and confrontational realism. Both were pivotal in challenging academic norms, influencing Impressionists (e.g., Monet's own Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe series as a more pastoral response) and paving the way for modernism's focus on everyday subjects, psychological tension, and viewer engagement. Housed today at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, it remains a symbol of artistic rebellion—often called "ground zero" for modern art—transforming scandal into enduring innovation.
masterpiece
1863 Olympia
Musée d'Orsay
Olympia (1863) — Manet's most notorious work draws heavily from Goya's La Maja desnuda (c. 1797–1800) and La Maja vestida. Both feature a reclining nude woman gazing directly at the viewer with confident, confrontational sexuality. Goya's Maja was scandalous for its realism and implied prostitution; Manet amplified this by modernizing the subject into a contemporary Parisian courtesan, stripping away mythological veneer, adding a Black maid and bouquet, and using flat, unmodeled forms. The direct stare and bold nudity echo Goya's subversive take on the classical reclining nude tradition (e.g., from Titian).
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Édouard Manet's Olympia (1863) is one of the most revolutionary and scandalous paintings in art history, often credited with helping birth modern art. Painted in oil on canvas (130.5 × 190 cm), it depicts a reclining nude woman—modeled by Victorine Meurent—staring directly and unflinchingly at the viewer, with a black servant (modeled by Laure) presenting a bouquet of flowers and a black cat at the foot of the bed. The scene is set in a luxurious interior with rich green drapery and patterned bedding.
The work was first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1865 (two years after completion), where it provoked an unprecedented uproar. Crowds gathered in chaos—laughing, mocking, catcalling, and expressing disgust—requiring guards and even re-hanging the painting high on the wall to protect it from the public's outrage. Critics called it "a colossal ineptitude," "shapeless," "putrefied," "incomprehensible," or likened it to a "cadaver at the morgue." The public viewed it as indecent and immoral.
Why the Scandal Was So Intense
Lasting Influence and Legacy
Olympia became a cornerstone of modernism, influencing Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, and beyond (e.g., Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon echoes its confrontational nudes). It challenged the Salon system, helped legitimize plein air and realist approaches, and shifted art toward psychological depth, social commentary, and viewer implication. Today, housed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, it's celebrated for empowering the female subject—Olympia's steady gaze asserts control and subjectivity.
Searching the web
27 results
Influence of Goya's La Maja Desnuda on Manet's Olympia
Francisco de Goya's La Maja Desnuda (c. 1797–1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid) was a groundbreaking work in its time: the first Western painting to depict pubic hair in a non-prostitutional, non-mythological context, featuring a reclining nude woman with a direct, confident gaze that boldly engages the viewer. Commissioned likely for a private aristocratic collection (possibly by Prime Minister Manuel Godoy), it scandalized Spanish authorities, leading to Inquisition scrutiny for its frank eroticism and realism—departing from idealized classical nudes.Édouard Manet's Olympia (1863) draws on this precedent as one of several influences, though scholars emphasize Titian's Venus of Urbino (1538) as the primary model due to compositional parallels (reclining pose, hand placement over genitals, servant figure, luxurious bedding). Goya's Maja is cited as a secondary but significant source:
Meaning of the Title "Olympia" in Manet's Painting
The title Olympia—attributed to Manet's friend, poet and critic Zacharie Astruc (who contributed a poem excerpt in the 1865 Salon catalogue)—carries layered, ironic significance:
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Édouard Manet's Olympia (1863) is one of the most revolutionary and scandalous paintings in art history, often credited with helping birth modern art. Painted in oil on canvas (130.5 × 190 cm), it depicts a reclining nude woman—modeled by Victorine Meurent—staring directly and unflinchingly at the viewer, with a black servant (modeled by Laure) presenting a bouquet of flowers and a black cat at the foot of the bed. The scene is set in a luxurious interior with rich green drapery and patterned bedding.
The work was first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1865 (two years after completion), where it provoked an unprecedented uproar. Crowds gathered in chaos—laughing, mocking, catcalling, and expressing disgust—requiring guards and even re-hanging the painting high on the wall to protect it from the public's outrage. Critics called it "a colossal ineptitude," "shapeless," "putrefied," "incomprehensible," or likened it to a "cadaver at the morgue." The public viewed it as indecent and immoral.
Why the Scandal Was So Intense
- Confrontational realism of a contemporary prostitute: Unlike traditional academic nudes (mythological or allegorical Venuses, like Titian's Venus of Urbino, which Manet openly referenced and subverted), Olympia is unmistakably a modern courtesan (demi-mondaine). Details scream this: the name "Olympia" was slang for prostitutes in 1860s Paris; the black cat (symbol of promiscuity or witchcraft, replacing Titian's faithful dog); the orchid in her hair and pearl earrings (luxury items for kept women); the bouquet implying a client's gift; her blocking hand over her genitals (suggesting transactional access); and her direct, assertive gaze that reverses the male gaze—she confronts and challenges the viewer (implied client) rather than passively inviting.
- Formal innovations that shocked: Manet's flat, unmodeled brushwork, sharp contrasts of light and shadow, lack of traditional sfumato blending, and bold outlines made the figure appear "unfinished" or crude to conservative eyes. The composition strips away idealization—no soft curves or dreamy atmosphere—presenting a hard-edged, modern woman with agency.
- Social and moral affront: In Second Empire Paris, depicting a real sex worker as a goddess-like figure (Olympia evokes classical ideals) exposed bourgeois hypocrisy around prostitution, class, race (the Black servant's presence added exotic/erotic undertones and racial tensions), and the commodification of women.
Lasting Influence and Legacy
Olympia became a cornerstone of modernism, influencing Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, and beyond (e.g., Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon echoes its confrontational nudes). It challenged the Salon system, helped legitimize plein air and realist approaches, and shifted art toward psychological depth, social commentary, and viewer implication. Today, housed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, it's celebrated for empowering the female subject—Olympia's steady gaze asserts control and subjectivity.
Searching the web
27 results
Influence of Goya's La Maja Desnuda on Manet's Olympia
Francisco de Goya's La Maja Desnuda (c. 1797–1800, Museo del Prado, Madrid) was a groundbreaking work in its time: the first Western painting to depict pubic hair in a non-prostitutional, non-mythological context, featuring a reclining nude woman with a direct, confident gaze that boldly engages the viewer. Commissioned likely for a private aristocratic collection (possibly by Prime Minister Manuel Godoy), it scandalized Spanish authorities, leading to Inquisition scrutiny for its frank eroticism and realism—departing from idealized classical nudes.Édouard Manet's Olympia (1863) draws on this precedent as one of several influences, though scholars emphasize Titian's Venus of Urbino (1538) as the primary model due to compositional parallels (reclining pose, hand placement over genitals, servant figure, luxurious bedding). Goya's Maja is cited as a secondary but significant source:
- Direct gaze and unapologetic confidence — Both women stare straight at the viewer with self-assured, challenging expressions, subverting passive female nudes. Goya's maja conveys bold sensuality; Manet's Olympia amplifies this into confrontation and agency.
- Realism over idealization — Goya painted a contemporary woman (possibly a mistress or composite figure) with natural proportions and explicit details, rejecting classical perfection. Manet extends this to a modern Parisian context, portraying a high-class courtesan (demi-mondaine) with unflinching realism—flat lighting, sharp outlines, and no softening sfumato.
- Erotic frankness and scandal — Goya's work provoked censure for its nudity outside mythological justification; Manet's does the same by modernizing the theme, making the figure explicitly a prostitute (via symbols like the black cat, orchid, pearls, and ignored bouquet). Art historians note Manet's "bold allusion" to Goya's Maja in updating the reclining nude for contemporary critique of bourgeois hypocrisy around sexuality and class.
- Differences in intent — Goya's is private and intimate (often paired with a clothed version); Manet's is public provocation at the Salon, transforming the erotic into social commentary. Some sources describe Olympia as a "derivative" or "imaginative transformation" of Goya's, but most agree Titian provides the core structure, with Goya adding the layer of defiant modernity.
Meaning of the Title "Olympia" in Manet's Painting
The title Olympia—attributed to Manet's friend, poet and critic Zacharie Astruc (who contributed a poem excerpt in the 1865 Salon catalogue)—carries layered, ironic significance:
- Association with prostitution — In 1860s Paris, "Olympia" was a common nom de guerre (professional pseudonym) among courtesans and high-class prostitutes (demi-mondaines). It evoked classical grandeur (from Mount Olympus or the Greek ideal) while signaling a kept woman or sex worker—ironic for a figure stripped of divine or mythological pretense.
- Subversion of classical tradition — Traditional reclining nudes were titled after goddesses like Venus. Manet rejects this: his subject is no goddess but a modern professional woman, "profane" and transactional. The name mocks idealized Venuses (e.g., Titian's) by applying an exalted title to a prosaic reality—highlighting hypocrisy in how society viewed female sexuality.
- Poetic and ironic elevation — Astruc's poem called her an "august maiden, keeper of the flame," ironically dignifying her. Critics at the time queried "What Olympia? A courtesan no doubt," recognizing the sarcasm. Some linked it to historical figures like Renaissance courtesan La Dona Olympia.
- Symbol of agency and modernity — The title underscores Olympia's self-possession: she is not passive Venus but a calculating, independent figure who confronts the (male) viewer/client. It strips away euphemism, forcing acknowledgment of her profession and power.
1872 Les Courses au Bois de Boulogne
2004 SOLD for $ 26.3M by Sotheby's
Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas have masterfully shaken up the classicism. Building on their predecessors, they find new ideas for staging and colors.
Manet easily entered into artist circles. He enjoys social life and does not wait for the recognition of the Salons. His themes are unlimited. Before him, Courbet went already complacently up to the scandal. Baudelaire and then Zola recognize the originality of his approach.
On May 5, 2004, Sotheby's sold for $ 26.3M Les Courses au Bois de Boulogne, oil on canvas 73 x 94 cm painted in 1872 by Manet, lot 13, from the collection of one of the most famous owners of racehorses, John Hay Whitney. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The artist skillfully mixed observation and imitation. It seems that the topography of the Longchamp racecourse was painted on the spot.
Manet had demonstrated a few years earlier in his first bullfighting scenes that a direct participation in the event was not essential, since he could rely on Goya. Here the horses in full gallop all fly with their four legs lifted, as in the Epsom Derby painted by Géricault in 1821, acquired by the Louvre in 1866. The imperturbable position of the jockeys in full race is not realistic : the sporting effort was obviously not appreciated by Manet.
Manet's painting is however very modern. The track and the lawn are aquamarine blue, highlighting the contrasts in a freedom of colors that anticipates expressionism for several decades. The distance of the subjects is marked by an increasing blur, as if it were a photograph focused on the action in progress in the foreground. This artifice provides the whole composition with an effect of depth, different from the solutions sought by his impressionist friends.
Manet easily entered into artist circles. He enjoys social life and does not wait for the recognition of the Salons. His themes are unlimited. Before him, Courbet went already complacently up to the scandal. Baudelaire and then Zola recognize the originality of his approach.
On May 5, 2004, Sotheby's sold for $ 26.3M Les Courses au Bois de Boulogne, oil on canvas 73 x 94 cm painted in 1872 by Manet, lot 13, from the collection of one of the most famous owners of racehorses, John Hay Whitney. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The artist skillfully mixed observation and imitation. It seems that the topography of the Longchamp racecourse was painted on the spot.
Manet had demonstrated a few years earlier in his first bullfighting scenes that a direct participation in the event was not essential, since he could rely on Goya. Here the horses in full gallop all fly with their four legs lifted, as in the Epsom Derby painted by Géricault in 1821, acquired by the Louvre in 1866. The imperturbable position of the jockeys in full race is not realistic : the sporting effort was obviously not appreciated by Manet.
Manet's painting is however very modern. The track and the lawn are aquamarine blue, highlighting the contrasts in a freedom of colors that anticipates expressionism for several decades. The distance of the subjects is marked by an increasing blur, as if it were a photograph focused on the action in progress in the foreground. This artifice provides the whole composition with an effect of depth, different from the solutions sought by his impressionist friends.
Venise
1
1874 Le Grand Canal à Venise
2022 SOLD for $ 52M by Christie's
The reciprocal influence of Manet and Monet was tremendous in art history. When the Impressionniste brush stroke was developed by his friends, Edouard Manet went to use lighter colors without his previous dark backgrounds. He also began to work outdoors while continuing to complete his best works in the studio.
Venice was another influence to Manet. In a first visit in 1853 while he was a student, he had admired Titian's Venus of Urbino that directly inspired his own Olympia in 1863.
Manet made his second visit to Venice in the fall of 1874. During his one month stay, he disregarded the monuments for appreciating the details that brought that amazing atmosphere to the city. He had spent the previous summer in his family home in Gennevilliers in the vicinity of Monet's Argenteuil and both artists had worked side by side and shared thoughts.
Manet painted only two views during that trip, both of the Gran Canale. Their unprecedented style to represent Venice certainly influenced Monet's views of the canal 34 years later.
Le Grand Canal à Venise, oil on canvas 58 x 48 cm, is a daring composition that could please Degas. The focusing point is a misaligned group of humble masts whose blue and white stripes make a bright contrast over the rest of the scenery including a half hidden soft pink Santa Maria della Salute. He added a cropped gondola at both sides of the picture. The reflections in the rippling water are inspired by Monet's views of the Seine.
It was sold for $ 52M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 27. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
Dr. Kyriakos N. Papathanassiou, CPA, FRPSL, AIEP @Hermes1861 Sep 24, 2022
Christie's announced that an auction of Paul Allen's art collection would be held in November. The largest auction in auction history, includes works by Van Gogh, Signac, Cezanne, Monet, Seurat, Manet, Gaugin, Turner, Kadinsky, Klimt. My favorite, Manet's Le Grand Canal a Venice.
Venice was another influence to Manet. In a first visit in 1853 while he was a student, he had admired Titian's Venus of Urbino that directly inspired his own Olympia in 1863.
Manet made his second visit to Venice in the fall of 1874. During his one month stay, he disregarded the monuments for appreciating the details that brought that amazing atmosphere to the city. He had spent the previous summer in his family home in Gennevilliers in the vicinity of Monet's Argenteuil and both artists had worked side by side and shared thoughts.
Manet painted only two views during that trip, both of the Gran Canale. Their unprecedented style to represent Venice certainly influenced Monet's views of the canal 34 years later.
Le Grand Canal à Venise, oil on canvas 58 x 48 cm, is a daring composition that could please Degas. The focusing point is a misaligned group of humble masts whose blue and white stripes make a bright contrast over the rest of the scenery including a half hidden soft pink Santa Maria della Salute. He added a cropped gondola at both sides of the picture. The reflections in the rippling water are inspired by Monet's views of the Seine.
It was sold for $ 52M by Christie's on November 9, 2022, lot 27. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
Dr. Kyriakos N. Papathanassiou, CPA, FRPSL, AIEP @Hermes1861 Sep 24, 2022
Christie's announced that an auction of Paul Allen's art collection would be held in November. The largest auction in auction history, includes works by Van Gogh, Signac, Cezanne, Monet, Seurat, Manet, Gaugin, Turner, Kadinsky, Klimt. My favorite, Manet's Le Grand Canal a Venice.
- This September 2022 post by art collector Dr. Kyriakos Papathanassiou announces Christie's auction of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's collection, billed as the largest in history with over 150 Impressionist and Modern works by artists including Van Gogh and Monet.
- Allen, who died in 2018, built the $1.6 billion trove over 40 years; the November sale shattered records by raising $1.62 billion, with all proceeds funding science, arts, and environmental causes per his will.
- The highlighted Manet painting, "Le Grand Canal à Venise" (1874), an oil capturing Venice's canals with loose Impressionist strokes, fetched $51.9 million—nearly double its high estimate—underscoring strong demand for French 19th-century views of Italy.
.jpg)
1 bis
for reference
1874-1875
Shelburne Museum
The other view of Venice by Manet, 64 x 75 cm completed in 1875, focuses on a gondola with a standing gondolier paddling behind similar masts.The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
Impressions @impression_ists Feb 22, 2023
Edouard Manet - The Grand Canal of Venice (Blue Venice)
Grok thought :
Quote
Impressions @impression_ists Feb 22, 2023
Edouard Manet - The Grand Canal of Venice (Blue Venice)
- Édouard Manet's 1875 oil painting "The Grand Canal of Venice (Blue Venice)" captures a gondolier navigating the canal's reflective blue waters amid warm-toned buildings, created during a September trip with painter James Tissot, marking a departure from his typical Parisian subjects.
- The work exemplifies Manet's impressionistic style through loose brushstrokes and vibrant color contrasts—dominated by blues and yellows—to evoke Venice's luminous atmosphere, differing from his cooler North Atlantic seascapes.
- Posted by art enthusiast @impression_ists, the image garnered over 1,200 likes in 2023, highlighting ongoing appreciation for Manet's rare Venetian piece now housed at Vermont's Shelburne Museum.
1878 Rue Mosnier aux Drapeaux
1989 SOLD for $ 26.4M by Christie's
A keen Republican and a friend of Zola, Edouard Manet was appealed by the depiction of daily life with its pleasures and pains.
After the Franco-Prussian war and the Commune, the Troisième République was established, endeavoring to bring back peace and prosperity. From May to October 1878 in Paris, the Exposition Universelle is the showcase of that recovery.
A Fête de la Paix is inserted in the calendar of the Exposition at June 30 to honor the French Republic. It is an opportunity to let crowds occupy the streets and to hang from the windows the French tricolore flag. Two years later the feast becomes yearly and national and is transferred to Bastille day.
Monet and Manet represented the feast in an opposite style. Monet's Rue Montorgueil is a masterpiece of Impressionnisme, intermingling the atmosphere of the feast with the colors of innumerable flags.
Manet's depiction is not festive but social. The rue Mosnier was painted from Manet's studio window. It is only occupied by sparse horse carriages with bourgeois at mid and far distances. and a disabled man in the foreground, behind a ladder carried by a worker out of field. The one legged beggar in a difficult walk with crutches symbolizes the ravages of war. The top down view reveals a garbage area behind a fence.
Rue Mosnier aux drapeaux, oil on canvas 65 x 80 cm, was sold for $ 26.4M by Christie's on November 14, 1989. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
After the Franco-Prussian war and the Commune, the Troisième République was established, endeavoring to bring back peace and prosperity. From May to October 1878 in Paris, the Exposition Universelle is the showcase of that recovery.
A Fête de la Paix is inserted in the calendar of the Exposition at June 30 to honor the French Republic. It is an opportunity to let crowds occupy the streets and to hang from the windows the French tricolore flag. Two years later the feast becomes yearly and national and is transferred to Bastille day.
Monet and Manet represented the feast in an opposite style. Monet's Rue Montorgueil is a masterpiece of Impressionnisme, intermingling the atmosphere of the feast with the colors of innumerable flags.
Manet's depiction is not festive but social. The rue Mosnier was painted from Manet's studio window. It is only occupied by sparse horse carriages with bourgeois at mid and far distances. and a disabled man in the foreground, behind a ladder carried by a worker out of field. The one legged beggar in a difficult walk with crutches symbolizes the ravages of war. The top down view reveals a garbage area behind a fence.
Rue Mosnier aux drapeaux, oil on canvas 65 x 80 cm, was sold for $ 26.4M by Christie's on November 14, 1989. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1878-1879 Self Portrait
1
with palette
2010 SOLD for £ 22.4M by Sotheby's
In 1878 or 1879, Edouard Manet painted two self portraits, which were the only ones of his career. Perhaps he wanted to change the image that his contemporaries had of him, fifteen years after such powerful and scandalous progresses of modern art as were le Déjeuner sur l'herbe and Olympia.
Manet is not a rapin. This colloquial term used in Paris at that time applied to partygoer artists who courted easy milliners who were known as grisettes. Instead, his elegant jacket and hat, and his full and forked beard provided the image of a grand bourgeois.
The oil on canvas 85 x 71 cm reinforces the quest for respectability by including the professional attributes of the artist: his brushes and palette. There is however an obstacle to the social success of Manet : he stares into space, sadly. Aged 47, he is already sick.
Manet is often classified among the Impressionists, whom he was one of the first to support. He was rather a great experimenter of the artistic language, and each of his paintings is a bit unique. This one is among the most prestigious. It was sold for $ 18.7M by Christie's on May 12, 1997, lot 107, and for £ 22.4M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2010, lot 9. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Manet is not a rapin. This colloquial term used in Paris at that time applied to partygoer artists who courted easy milliners who were known as grisettes. Instead, his elegant jacket and hat, and his full and forked beard provided the image of a grand bourgeois.
The oil on canvas 85 x 71 cm reinforces the quest for respectability by including the professional attributes of the artist: his brushes and palette. There is however an obstacle to the social success of Manet : he stares into space, sadly. Aged 47, he is already sick.
Manet is often classified among the Impressionists, whom he was one of the first to support. He was rather a great experimenter of the artistic language, and each of his paintings is a bit unique. This one is among the most prestigious. It was sold for $ 18.7M by Christie's on May 12, 1997, lot 107, and for £ 22.4M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2010, lot 9. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
for reference
with cap
Bridgestone Museum, Tokyo
For Edouard Manet, a portrait painting had to consider the transition between light and shadow like for any other theme. He preferred executing it outdoors, quickly, in a single sitting session. Commissioners did not like his candid unflattering representations which in some way anticipate by around 10 years the self portrait masterpiece by le Douanier Rousseau.
The self portrait with cap, which is the only full length standing self portrait in his career, meets these rules. Its image is shared by Wikimedia.
The self portrait with cap, which is the only full length standing self portrait in his career, meets these rules. Its image is shared by Wikimedia.
1880 Jeune Fille dans un Jardin
2000 SOLD for $ 21M by Sotheby's
Jeune Fille dans un Jardin, oil on canvas 150 x 115 cm painted by Edouard Manet in 1880, was sold for $ 21M by Sotheby's on November 9, 2000, lot 21. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1881 Le Printemps
2014 SOLD for $ 65M by Christie's
The art of Edouard Manet was based on the great masters of the past but his wish to express life and mores of his time generated a lasting misunderstanding. All along two decades, he was rejected in the Salons that were the arbiters of the French official good taste.
Everything begins to change in 1881. His old friend Antonin Proust, close to Gambetta, suggests Manet to produce a series of allegorical paintings on the theme of the four seasons. Manet soaks carefully and slowly within this project.
The first paintings, Spring (Le Printemps) and Autumn, are made within that year. In the following year, studies of amazones show how Manet wanted to express Summer, but he died in 1883 without having worked on Winter. In 1882, Le Printemps and Un Bar aux Folies-Bergères finally provide Manet with a triumph in the Salon.
Spring is a time for renewal, hope and flowers. Manet was inspired by the ideal of the flower-woman played by the very young actress Jeanne Demarsy nicely dressed in flowery clothes in an environment of rhododendrons. Jeanne is seen in profile in the style of the Renaissance but proudly expresses the autonomy of the new woman.
Le Printemps, oil on canvas 74 x 52 cm, was sold for $ 65M from a lower estimate of $ 25M on November 5, 2014 by Christie's, lot 16. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 6, 2014
Spring in our step. Manet’s “Le Printemps” sets #worldauctionrecord for the artist at $65,125,000
Everything begins to change in 1881. His old friend Antonin Proust, close to Gambetta, suggests Manet to produce a series of allegorical paintings on the theme of the four seasons. Manet soaks carefully and slowly within this project.
The first paintings, Spring (Le Printemps) and Autumn, are made within that year. In the following year, studies of amazones show how Manet wanted to express Summer, but he died in 1883 without having worked on Winter. In 1882, Le Printemps and Un Bar aux Folies-Bergères finally provide Manet with a triumph in the Salon.
Spring is a time for renewal, hope and flowers. Manet was inspired by the ideal of the flower-woman played by the very young actress Jeanne Demarsy nicely dressed in flowery clothes in an environment of rhododendrons. Jeanne is seen in profile in the style of the Renaissance but proudly expresses the autonomy of the new woman.
Le Printemps, oil on canvas 74 x 52 cm, was sold for $ 65M from a lower estimate of $ 25M on November 5, 2014 by Christie's, lot 16. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Grok thought :
Quote
Christie's @ChristiesInc Nov 6, 2014
Spring in our step. Manet’s “Le Printemps” sets #worldauctionrecord for the artist at $65,125,000
- Christie's 2014 post celebrates the auction sale of Édouard Manet's 1881 painting "Le Printemps," depicting actress Jeanne Demarsy in a floral spring scene, for $65.1 million—nearly double the artist's prior record.
- The work, owned by one family for a century, exceeded its $25–35 million estimate and was acquired by the J. Paul Getty Museum, underscoring strong institutional interest in Impressionist masterpieces.
- As of 2025, this remains Manet's highest auction price, reflecting sustained market value for his oeuvre amid broader trends in art investment.
Le Bar aux Folies Bergère
1
1881
2015 SOLD for £ 17M by Sotheby's
Edouard Manet is one of the great experimenters of art in the nineteenth century. In early 1880, his health is deteriorating, generating infirmities in the limbs. This difficulty seems to accelerate his creativity, as if he felt that he had little remaining time to prove that he is one of the top artists.
The inspiration of Manet is modernist, which is clearly visible in the series of Seasons that he will not complete and where he is adapting the classic portraiture to display a modern young woman.
On June 24, 2015, Sotheby's sold for £ 17M Le bar aux Folies-Bergère, oil on canvas 47 x 56 cm painted in 1881, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The barmaid is positioned before a vast space which is a reflection in a wall mirror, including her own reflection. The exact position of the glass is hardly noticeable. In the background, colors in dots figure a crowd at a show, anticipating altogether Lautrec and abstract art.
This scene that desires to be a counterpart to Las Meninas by Velazquez is troubling in its angles. It was painted in the studio. The man on the right who is visible only in his reflection is the door neighbor. The consistency of his position is explained when we accept to exclude the logical assumption that it he placed just in front of the woman.
Manet wants to create a masterpiece and appreciates that this theme allows it. Painted a few months later, the second and final version 96 x 130 cm marks a come back to a scene in realistic line with a towering girl whose actual model is an employee of the Folies-Bergère, a crowd whose details are visible and some additions like the increased assortment of drinks on the bar and the legs of the trapeze artist that anticipate Chagall.
The inspiration of Manet is modernist, which is clearly visible in the series of Seasons that he will not complete and where he is adapting the classic portraiture to display a modern young woman.
On June 24, 2015, Sotheby's sold for £ 17M Le bar aux Folies-Bergère, oil on canvas 47 x 56 cm painted in 1881, lot 8. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The barmaid is positioned before a vast space which is a reflection in a wall mirror, including her own reflection. The exact position of the glass is hardly noticeable. In the background, colors in dots figure a crowd at a show, anticipating altogether Lautrec and abstract art.
This scene that desires to be a counterpart to Las Meninas by Velazquez is troubling in its angles. It was painted in the studio. The man on the right who is visible only in his reflection is the door neighbor. The consistency of his position is explained when we accept to exclude the logical assumption that it he placed just in front of the woman.
Manet wants to create a masterpiece and appreciates that this theme allows it. Painted a few months later, the second and final version 96 x 130 cm marks a come back to a scene in realistic line with a towering girl whose actual model is an employee of the Folies-Bergère, a crowd whose details are visible and some additions like the increased assortment of drinks on the bar and the legs of the trapeze artist that anticipate Chagall.
2
masterpiece
1881-1882
Institut Courtauld's
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
1881 Le Banc
1990 SOLD for $ 16.5M by Christie's
Le Banc, subtitled Le Jardin de Versailles, is a view of a trellised garden painted by Manet in 1881. This oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm was sold for $ 16.5M by Christie's on May 15, 1990. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
.jpg)
1882 Lilas et Roses
2018 SOLD for $ 13M by Christie's
In 1882 the health condition of Edouard Manet worsens. Reclusive in his studio, he continues to work but in smaller formats.
Manet has many friends who visit him. He has always enjoyed to meet women. After they leave, he likes to paint the bouquets they have brought. The choice of flowers nicely reflects the visitor's personality. This joyous freshness certainly soothes the sufferings of the artist. Flowers are a reminder of how much life is transient.
These ultimate still lifes display roses, peonies or lilacs on a neutral background. The language of flowers is very effective in its simplicity of brush strokes and colors. The stems and the meniscus appear through the glass vase.
On May 8, 2018, Christie's sold for $ 13M from a lower estimate of $ 7M Lilas et roses, oil on canvas 32 x 25 cm, lot 7. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Manet had presented this floral still life to the daughter of his doctor in November 1882. In her enthusiastic gratitude, the young woman commented that such flowers will never fade. Acquired in 1938 by Abby and John D. Jr, this very elegant small painting adorned the apartments of two generations of the Rockefeller family.
Bouquet de pivoines, oil on canvas 55 x 42 cm painted in 1882, was sold for £ 7.7M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2010, lot 34. Vase de Fleurs, Roses et Lilas, oil on canvas 56 x 35 cm also painted in 1882, was sold for $ 10M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2024, lot 31.
Manet has many friends who visit him. He has always enjoyed to meet women. After they leave, he likes to paint the bouquets they have brought. The choice of flowers nicely reflects the visitor's personality. This joyous freshness certainly soothes the sufferings of the artist. Flowers are a reminder of how much life is transient.
These ultimate still lifes display roses, peonies or lilacs on a neutral background. The language of flowers is very effective in its simplicity of brush strokes and colors. The stems and the meniscus appear through the glass vase.
On May 8, 2018, Christie's sold for $ 13M from a lower estimate of $ 7M Lilas et roses, oil on canvas 32 x 25 cm, lot 7. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Manet had presented this floral still life to the daughter of his doctor in November 1882. In her enthusiastic gratitude, the young woman commented that such flowers will never fade. Acquired in 1938 by Abby and John D. Jr, this very elegant small painting adorned the apartments of two generations of the Rockefeller family.
Bouquet de pivoines, oil on canvas 55 x 42 cm painted in 1882, was sold for £ 7.7M by Sotheby's on June 22, 2010, lot 34. Vase de Fleurs, Roses et Lilas, oil on canvas 56 x 35 cm also painted in 1882, was sold for $ 10M by Sotheby's on May 16, 2024, lot 31.
#LiveLikeARockefeller ‘Lilas et roses’ by #EdouardManet has brought joy to 2 generations of the Rockefeller family. “I remember very clearly this small...picture hanging in Mother’s sitting room,” David Rockefeller recalled. “It is...a painting that gives ongoing pleasure.” pic.twitter.com/FIUWrXlDTP
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) February 11, 2018
