A comparison of artists as crucial as Manet and Degas should not be limited to identifying the similarities in their respective bodies of work. Admittedly, there is no lack of analogies among these key players in the new painting of the 1860s-80s when it comes to the subjects they imposed (from horse races to café scenes, from prostitution to the tub), the genres they reinvented, the realism they opened to other...

At the turn of the 20th century, Alphonse Mucha was one of the most famous artists in Europe. A key figure of Art Nouveau and the inventor of an original style of graphic art, his work combined female beauty and stylised nature with a resolutely innovative composition and typography. The "Mucha style" has been a source of fascination ever since it was created and was applied to a variety of artworks and...

The Musée du Luxembourg is presenting an unprecedented exhibition on Léon Monet (1836-1917), the overlooked brother of Claude Monet (1840-1926). A colour chemist, Rouen-based industrialist and collector, Léon Monet played a key role in his artist brother's career. In 1872, at a time when Claude, having returned from Le Havre, painted Impression, Sunrise, Léon founded the Société Industrielle de Rouen and decided to...

The 18th century is regarded as the golden age of pastel. A medium second to none when it comes to rendering the effects of texture and velvety complexions, use of pastel was often restricted to portraiture. Although it fell out of fashion at the time of the French Revolution, pastel enjoyed a revival between the second half of the 19th and early 20th century. The range of available pastels was considerably broadened...