Caillebotte and the Impressionists. History of a Collection

WRITTEN IN FRENCH

Gustave Caillebotte (1848 - 1894) was not only a great artist, but also a visionary collector and one of the most important donors to the French national collections.
Wealthier than his Impressionist friends, he bought works from them, both to support them and with the idea of building...

WRITTEN IN FRENCH

Gustave Caillebotte (1848 - 1894) was not only a great artist, but also a visionary collector and one of the most important donors to the French national collections.
Wealthier than his Impressionist friends, he bought works from them, both to support them and with the idea of building a collection for posterity. His taste led him towards paintings and pastels among the most audacious of Cézanne, Degas, Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley.
In 1876, when Impressionism was only a few years old and he himself was only twenty-eight years old, Caillebotte signed a will in which he bequeathed his collection to the Louvre. This gesture would change the course of art history. By forcing the doors of the museum, he contributed to the definitive recognition of the movement in France, transformed the way institutions viewed the art of their time and inspired a whole generation of new collectors and donors.
This book sheds light on the history of this exceptional collection, which constitutes the heart of the Impressionist collections of the Musée d'Orsay.

French
144 pages

Co-publishing by the Musée d'Orsay / Éditions Hazan.