RAA Art Talk- Peacock Theatre

Manet and Morisot

This art talk and slide presentation is based on the a new exhibition at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. The talk will be given by Marsha M. Holm, a docent with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. This is the first major exhibition dedicated to the artistic exchange between two groundbreaking artists ––French Impressionists Édouard Manet (1832-1883) and Berthe Morisot (1841-1895).

Manet was the 19th century’s great pioneer of modern painting, and Morisot was the sole female founding member of the Impressionist group. They were friends, colleagues, and, after her marriage to his brother in 1874, family.

The story of their relationship has often been told through Manet’s early portraits of Morisot, with Morisot’s own artistic work seen as an offshoot of Manet’s. While Morisot looked to Manet for inspiration and approval during her early career, new scholarship reveals that in his final years Manet was increasingly influenced by Morisot’s views on subject matter, color, and technique.

Rich in new research, the exhibition offers a fresh look at this celebrated artistic friendship, revealing that Manet learned at least as much from Morisot as she had from him.