Edouard Manet ( * 1832 † 1883 )

Artist Édouard Manet

Discover the modern visual language of Édouard Manet – a pioneer of modern painting! His provocative subjects, bold compositions, and free brushwork made him one of the most influential artists of the 19th century. Bring his groundbreaking works home as a high-quality art print, stylish framed canvas, or artistically hand-painted masterpiece in your desired size!

Édouard Manet Self-Portrait

Édouard Manet was born on January 23, 1832, to a wealthy family in the Parisian district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. After attending the Institut Poiloup, he studied at the renowned Collège Rollin at the age of 12 and began his drawing studies. After being rejected by the Naval Academy, he received his academic training at the art academy with Thomas Couture.

The break with the classicism of the academy and Couture led him to leave after 6 years and open his own studio with Albert de Balleroy. Dissatisfied with conventional art à la Couture, lacking the freedom of spontaneity, he sought new forms of expression. He explored this in the Louvre and on trips to the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, and later, Spain.

The painting "The Absinthe Drinker" is considered his first independent work. It was rejected by the jury of the Paris Salon in 1859. "The Spanish Singer" received honorable mention from the Salon jury in 1861.

In 1863, Manet created two major works, "The Luncheon on the Grass" and "Olympia." These were both radically criticized, labeled scandalous, mocked, and ridiculed, yet they also earned him great acclaim and instant fame.

His role within the emerging avant-garde began to take hold, bringing together those who longed for change. The new—the drive for freedom, new social order, new doctrine, new art form—first gathered in small circles (including Baudelaire, Cezanne, Zola, and Berthe Morisot) and grew so significant that he was proclaimed the "king of the Impressionists," although he did not consider himself part of this movement.

From 1870, Manet collaborated closely with Claude Monet, who inspired him to paint en plein air. Édouard Manet died on April 30, 1883, as a result of a leg amputation.

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All images by Edouard Manet

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