Impressionist exhibitions
From 1874 to 1886, some artists organized eight "free exhibitions, without jury and without honorary award". It was on the occasion of the first of these that the word "impressionism" appeared, initially launched as an insult. Here is a discovery of the works of the artists who participated in these exhibitions, through the collections put online by the museums of France on Mona Lisa, their collective catalogue.
Credits: this content was originally published on the website Joconde. It was constituted in 2004 by Jeannette Ivain of the French Museum Service. The records of the cited collections are online on POP, an open heritage platform.
"Free" exhibitions
In 1874, some artists organized "a cooperative limited company of painters, sculptors, engravers, with variable capital and personnel". Their goal was to present "free exhibitions, without jury and without honorary awards." It was on the occasion of this first exhibition that the word "impressionism" appeared, initially launched as an insult.
From 1874 to 1886, the group of artists managed to organize eight exhibitions. Paradoxically, among the 56 artists who participated in either of the exhibitions, some are still little known as impressionists, while others, often associated with this movement, have never exhibited with the group, such as Henri Fantin-Latour, Eva Gonzalès, Edouard Manet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec or Vincent Van Gogh.
We propose you to discover or rediscover these artists from the collective catalogue of collections of museums in France.
The exhibitions
Despite internal disagreements, the company managed to organize eight exhibitions in Paris. Alone Camille Pissarro will be present at all.
- 1874: The first demonstration is held at 35 boulevard des Capucines in the workshops that photographer Nadar has just abandoned. It takes place from 15 April to 15 May and brings together 30 participants and 165 works.
- 1876: The second exhibition takes place at 11 rue Le Peletier in April and brings together 18 participants.
1877: The third exhibition is held at the Durand-Ruel gallery at 6 rue Le Peletier in April and brings together 18 participants.
- 1879: The fourth exhibition is held at 28 avenue de l'Opéra in May and brings together 15 participants.
- 1880: The fifth exhibition is held at 10 rue des Pyramides in April and brings together 19 participants.
- 1881: The sixth exhibition is again at 35 boulevard des Capucines and brings together 13 participants.
- 1882: During the seventh exhibition in March, the group, reduced to 9 participants, meets at the Durand-Ruel gallery at 6 rue Le Peletier.
- 1886: For several years society remains inactive. Aesthetic quarrels are increasingly violent. An eighth and final exhibition is still decided and is held 1 rue Laffitte from May to June and brings together 17 participants.
1874
The first demonstration is held at 35 boulevard des Capucines in the workshops that photographer Nadar has just abandoned. It takes place from 15 April to 15 May and brings together 30 participants and 165 paintings.
Some works from the 1874 exhibition on Mona Lisa
Latouche Louis
Levert Jean Baptiste Léopold
Meyer Alfred
Molins Auguste de
Mulot-Durivage Emilien
Ottin Auguste Louis Marie
Ottin Léon Auguste
Robert Léopold
1876
The second exhibition takes place at 11 rue Le Peletier in April and brings together 18 participants.
Some works from the 1876 exhibition on Mona Lisa
François Jacques
Levert Jean Baptiste Léopold
Ottin Auguste Louis Marie
Ottin Léon Auguste
Tillot Charles
1877
The third exhibition was held at the Durand-Ruel gallery at 6 rue Le Peletier in April and brought together 18 participants.
Some works from the 1877 exhibition on Mona Lisa
Cordey Frédéric
François Jacques
Lamy Pierre Franc
Levert Jean Baptiste Léopold
Maureau Alphonse
Tillot Charles
1879
The fourth exhibition is held at 28 avenue de l'Opéra in May and brings together 15 participants.
Some works from the 1879 exhibition on Mona Lisa
1880
The fifth exhibition is held at 10 rue des Pyramides in April and brings together 19 participants.
Some works from the 1880 exhibition on Mona Lisa
Levert Jean Baptiste Léopold
Raffaëlli Jean-Marius
Tillot Charles
Zandomeneghi Federico
1881
The sixth exhibition is again at 35 boulevard des Capucines and brings together 13 participants.
1882
During the seventh exhibition in March, the group, reduced to 9 participants, met at the Durand-Ruel gallery at 6 rue Le Peletier.
Some works from the 1882 exhibition on Mona Lisa
1886
For several years society remained inactive. Aesthetic quarrels became increasingly violent. An eighth and final exhibition is still decided and is held at 1 rue Laffitte from May to June and brings together 17 participants.
Some works from the 1886 exhibition on Mona Lisa
List of exhibitors
56 artists participated in at least one of the eight Impressionist exhibitions.
Astruc Zacharie (1874)
Expected Antoine Ferdinand (1874)
Béliard Edouard (1874, 1876)
Boudin Eugène (1874)
Bracquemond Félix (1874, 1879, 1880)
Bracquemond Marie (1879, 1880, 1886)
Brandon Edouard (1874)
Pierre Isidore Office (1874)
Caillebotte Gustave (1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1882)
Cals Adolphe Félix (1874, 1876, 1877, 1879)
Cassatt Mary (1879, 1880, 1881, 1886)
Cézanne Paul (1874, 1877)
Colin Gustave (1874)
Cordey Frédéric (1877)
Debras Louis (1874)
Degas Edgar (1874, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1886)
De Nittis Giuseppe (1874)
Desboutin Marcellin (1876)
Forain Jean-Louis (1879, 1880, 1881, 1886)
François Jacques (1876, 1877)
Gauguin Paul (1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1886)
Guillaumin Armand (1874, 1877, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1886)
Lamy Pierre Franc (1877)
Latouche Louis (1874)
Lebourg Charles Albert (1879, 1880)
Legros Alphonse (1876)
Lepic Ludovic Napoleon (1874, 1876)
Lépine Stanislas (1874)
Levert Jean Baptiste Léopold (1874, 1876, 1877, 1880)
Maureau Alphonse (1877)
Meyer Alfred (1874)
Millet Jean-Baptiste (1876)
Molins Auguste of (1874)
Monet Claude (1874, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1882)
Morisot Berthe (1874, 1876, 1877, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1886)
Mulot-Durivage Emilien (1874)
Nittis Joseph of (1874)
Ottin Auguste Louis Marie (1874)
Ottin Léon Auguste (1874, 1876)
Piette Ludovic (1877)
Pissarro Lucien (1886)
Pissarro Camille (1874, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1886)
Raffaëlli Jean-François (1880, 1881)
Raffaëlli Jean-Marius (1880)
Redon Odilon (1886)
Renoir Pierre Auguste (1874, 1876, 1877, 1882)
Robert Léopold (1874)
Rouart Henri (1874, 1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1886)
Schuffenecker Emile (1886)
Seurat Georges (1886)
Signac Paul (1886)
Sisley Alfred (1874, 1876, 1877, 1882)
Somm Henry (1879)
Tillot Charles (1876, 1877, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1886)
Vidal Eugène Vincent (1880, 1881)
Vignon Victor (1880, 1881, 1882, 1886)
Zandomeneghi Federico (1879, 1880, 1881, 1886)
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