Edouard Manet
Olympia, Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe — father of Impressionism
The reluctant revolutionary. Olympia and Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe scandalized Paris not for their subjects — nudes were everywhere — but for their flat, unapologetic modernity. He wanted Salon success and got a revolution instead. Without Manet, no Impressionism and no modern art.
Key works
- Olympia1863— The nude looks back — modernity stares down the viewerMusee d'Orsay, Paris
- Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe1863— A naked woman with clothed men — the painting that broke the rulesMusee d'Orsay, Paris
- A Bar at the Folies-Bergere1882— Mirrors, melancholy, and modern lifeCourtauld Gallery, London