Berthe Morisot

In April 1874, thirty artistsandmdash;among them Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir,and#160;Camille Pissarro,and#160;Paul Candeacute;zanne, and Edgar Degasandmdash;participated in an extraordinary exhibition held at the Paris studio of the photographer Nadar. A particularly scathing review of the showand#160;in the newspaperand#160;Le Charivariand#160;bore the headline andldquo;The Exhibition of the Impressionists,andrdquo; a derisive play on the title of one of the paintings exhibited by Monet called Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), thus giving this disparate group of artists the name by which they would henceforth collectively be known.

This beautiful book accompanies a major exhibition celebrating the 140th anniversary of the First Impressionist Exhibition. It offers a colorful biography of Impression, Sunrise, from the influences that led to its creation in 1872 and the circumstances of its display two years later, to its eventual acquisition by the Musandeacute;e Marmottan Monet in the mid-20th century. This study of the world-famous painting also brings the narrative up to date, analyzing the art-historical rediscovery of the work in recent decades and its enshrinement as a foundational painting in the history of modern art.

andldquo;Comprehensive . . . As a revealing look into the decidedly feminine concerns and talents from a period of art history dominated by men, this overview provides valuable insight.andrdquo;andmdash;Publishers Weekly

andldquo;A wonderfully nuanced look at Morisotandrsquo;s life, as well as a keen examination of her masterful watercolors and drawings.andquot;andmdash;Leah Triplett Sear,and#160;Bookslutand#160;

A handsomely illustrated volume that provides new insight into one of the great women artists of the Impressionist circle

Berthe Morisot (1841and#8211;1895) was one of only a handful of women who exhibited both at the famed Paris Salonand#160;and with the French Impressionists. Her exquisite work depicts the world of the Parisian bourgeoisie: their clothes, their life-styles, their surroundings, and their relationships.

Over one hundred full-color paintings, graphic works, watercolors, and pastels are reproduced in this volume, and are accompanied by original commentaries that follow the artist's career from her training with Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot to her final work. Included in the volume is an essay that Morisot wrote about her nephew-in-law Paul Valand#233;ry in 1948and#8212;a seminal text that has never been included in his collected worksand#8212;as well as extensive correspondence and sketchbooks held at the Musand#233;e Marmottan Monet, which have rarely been accessible. Morisot has been hailed by historians as one of the forgotten women artists of the 19th century, and this volume helps to reveal her artistic influence on her better-known peers.

An intriguing portrait of an early Impressionist masterwork, tracing the paintingand#39;s history and reception from its creation up to the present day

This book offers a colorful, intriguing biography of one of Claude Monetandrsquo;s most famous paintings, from the inspirations for its creation to its recent recognition as a cornerstone of modern art.

Marianne Mathieu is deputy director, head of collections and communication at the Musandeacute;e Marmottan Monet, Paris. Dominique Lobstein is the former head of documentary studies in the painting department of the Musandeacute;e dand#39;Orsay, Paris.