National Gallery of Art
April 9–July 9, 2017
Frédéric Bazille, Portraits of the *** Family, called The Family Gathering, 1867
oil on canvas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, purchased with the assistance of Marc Bazille, 1924
Frédéric Bazille (1841–1870) created paintings inspired by contemporary life that challenged the aesthetic conventions of his day and helped to lay the groundwork of impressionism. In celebration of the 175th anniversary of the artist's birth, Frédéric Bazille and the Birth of Impressionism brings together some 75 paintings that examine Bazille as a central figure of impressionism. The National Gallery of Art, which holds the largest group of Bazille's works outside of France, as well as important related impressionist paintings of the 1860s, is the sole American venue for the exhibition. The first major presentation of Bazille's work in America in 25 years, the exhibition is on view in the East Building from April 9 through July 9, 2017.
Bazille was actively engaged with the most significant pictorial issues of his era—the revival of the still-life form, realist landscapes, plein-air figural painting, and the modern nude. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant cultural life of Paris as well as from his native Provence, Bazille painted with a style that was distinctly his own.
"This exhibition shows Bazille's key role in the developments of French painting and provides new insight into this period of impressionism," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art, Washington. "The outstanding partnership between the National Gallery of Art, the Musée Fabre in Montpelier, and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris made it possible to undertake this new study of Bazille's work. We are delighted to reveal brand-new scientific examinations that offer new analyses, identifications, dates, and attributions."
The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington; the Musée Fabre, Montpellier; and the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
Exhibition Highlights
Frédéric Bazille and the Birth of Impressionism is the most comprehensive retrospective of Bazille's career, featuring nearly three-quarters of his artistic output. Organized thematically, this exhibition juxtaposes works by Bazille with important works by the predecessors who inspired him—Théodore Rousseau, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, and Gustave Courbet—and by contemporaries such as Édouard Manet and Claude Monet with whom he was closely associated.
"Frédéric Bazille is such an extraordinary talent, though he still remains relatively unknown. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to bring together the majority of the artist's work for the first time in almost 25 years," said Kimberly A. Jones, curator of 19th-century French paintings, National Gallery of Art. "They are remarkable paintings and people are going to be astonished by their quality and their vibrancy. It is such a pleasure to be able to introduce Bazille to a new generation of admirers."
The exhibition begins with his student works, self-portraits, still lifes, small portraits, and luminous landscapes painted in the forest of Fontainebleau and the coast of Normandy. Portraits of fellow artists are juxtaposed with interior scenes of Bazille's studio depicting the dynamic circle of avant-garde artists and writers to which he belonged. The fifth and sixth galleries explore Bazille's plein-air figural paintings, created while he was in Montpellier, and the male and female nude as subjects. The exhibition continues with a gallery dedicated to floral still-life paintings and concludes with a return to outdoors with seascapes painted in the south of France.
In preparation for this exhibition, the National Gallery of Art and the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France, Paris (C2RMF), performed extensive conservation and research on nearly half of the artist's known works. In 11 of those paintings, earlier compositions of fruit, flowers, or figural works were discovered underneath the surface of the visible painting.
The conservation efforts revealed Young Woman at the Piano—Bazille's first submission to the Salon in 1866 and a work previously believed to have been lost—underneath Ruth and Boaz (1870), as well as a study of Renior's 1867 painting Diana the Huntress beneath The Studio on the Rue La Condamine (1869–1870).
Curators, Catalog, and Related Activities
The exhibition was organized by Kimberly A. Jones, curator of 19th-century French paintings, National Gallery of Art; Michel Hilaire, General Heritage Curator, director of the Musée Fabre, Montpellier; and Paul Perrin, curator of paintings, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
Made possible in part thanks to the support of the American Friends of the Musée d'Orsay, the 300-page, fully illustrated exhibition catalog includes scholarly essays by Jones, Hilaire, and Perrin, a detailed chronology, maps, and a family tree. Published by Flammarion, the catalog is available in hardcover.
Frédéric Bazille
Soup Bowl Lids, 1864
oil on canvas
27 x 35 x 1.6 cm (10 5/8 x 13 3/4 x 5/8 in.)
framed: 41.5 x 49.7 x 5.5 cm (16 5/16 x 19 9/16 x 2 3/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Reclining Nude, 1864
oil on canvas
unframed: 70.5 x 190.5 x 2.7 cm (27 3/4 x 75 x 1 1/16 in.)
framed: 88.5 x 199.5 x 8 cm (34 13/16 x 78 9/16 x 3 1/8 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
The Dog Rita, Asleep, 1864
oil on canvas
unframed: 38 x 46 cm (14 15/16 x 18 1/8 in.)
Private collection
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Frédéric Bazille
The Scoter-Duck, 1864
oil on canvas
43 x 39 cm (16 15/16 x 15 3/8 in.)
framed: 72.5 x 63.5 x 11 cm (28 9/16 x 25 x 4 5/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine, copy after Veronese, 1863
oil on canvas
125 x 125 cm (49 3/16 x 49 3/16 in.)
framed: 174 x 174 x 30 cm (68 1/2 x 68 1/2 x 11 13/16 in.)
Commune de Beaune-la-Rolande
Frédéric Bazille
The Pink Dress, 1864
oil on canvas
147 x 110 cm (57 7/8 x 43 5/16 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, bequest of Marc Bazille, 1924
Frédéric Bazille
The Artist's Studio on the Rue de Furstenberg, 1865
oil on canvas
81.2 x 65 x 1.8 cm (31 15/16 x 25 9/16 x 11/16 in.)
framed: 98.5 x 82.5 x 6.5 cm (38 3/4 x 32 1/2 x 2 9/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Self Portrait with Palette, 1865
oil on canvas
108.9 x 71.1 cm (42 7/8 x 28 in.)
framed: 135 x 80 cm (53 1/8 x 31 1/2 in.)
The Art Institute of Chicago, restricted gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Woods in memory of Mrs.Edward Harris Brewer
Frédéric Bazille
Self-Portrait with Detachable Collar, 1867-1868
oil on canvas
54 x 46 cm (21 1/4 x 18 1/8 in.)
framed: 74.3 x 66 x 7.62 cm (29 1/4 x 26 x 3 in.)
Lent by The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The John R. Van Derlip Fund
Frédéric Bazille
The Beach at Sainte-Adresse, 1865
oil on canvas
58.4 x 140 cm (23 x 55 1/8 in.)
framed: 88.3 x 169.5 x 14.61 cm (34 3/4 x 66 3/4 x 5 3/4 in.)
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia; Gift of the Forward Arts Foundation in honor of Frances
Floyd Cocke
Frédéric Bazille
Forest of Fontainebleau, 1865
oil on canvas
60 x 73 cm (23 5/8 x 28 3/4 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, gift of Mrs. Fantin-Latour, 1905
Frédéric Bazille
Landscape at Chailly, 1865
oil on canvas
81 x 100.3 cm (31 7/8 x 39 1/2 in.)
The Art Institute of Chicago, Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection
Frédéric Bazille
Village Street, Chailly, 1865
oil on canvas
32.5 x 24.5 x 1.7 cm (12 13/16 x 9 5/8 x 11/16 in.)
framed: 47.5 x 39.5 x 4 cm (18 11/16 x 15 9/16 x 1 9/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
The Improvised Field Hospital, 1865
oil on canvas
48 x 65 cm (18 7/8 x 25 9/16 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
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Frédéric Bazille
Two Herrings, 1864
oil on canvas
41 x 27.5 x 2.5 cm (16 1/8 x 10 13/16 x 1 in.)
framed: 55 x 42 x 7 cm (21 5/8 x 16 9/16 x 2 3/4 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Still Life with Fish, 1866
oil on canvas
unframed: 62 x 81.3 cm (24 7/16 x 32 in.)
Detroit Institute of Arts, Purchased by the Founders Society, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation.Fund
Frédéric Bazille
Little Italian Street Singer, 1866
oil on canvas
131 x 98 x 3 cm (51 9/16 x 38 9/16 x 1 3/16 in.)
framed: 150 x 117 x 7.3 cm (59 1/16 x 46 1/16 x 2 7/8 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
The Terrace at Méric, 1867
oil on canvas
framed: 115.5 x 148.5 x 7.5 cm (45 1/2 x 58 7/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
unframed: 97 x 128 cm (38 3/16 x 50 3/8 in.)
Association des Amis du Petit Palais, Geneve
Frédéric Bazille
Young Woman with Lowered Eyes, 1868
oil on canvas
unframed: 46 x 38 cm (18 1/8 x 14 15/16 in.)
Private collection
Frédéric Bazille
A Studio on the Rue Visconti, 1867
oil on canvas
64.8 x 48.3 cm (25 1/2 x 19 in.)
framed: 87.2 x 70.8 x 10 cm (34 5/16 x 27 7/8 x 3 15/16 in.)
Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Frédéric Bazille
The Western Ramparts at Aigues-Mortes, 1867
oil on canvas
overall: 60 x 100 cm (23 5/8 x 39 3/8 in.)
framed: 78.7 x 116.2 x 7 cm (31 x 45 3/4 x 2 3/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
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Frédéric Bazille
Porte de la Reine at Aigues-Mortes, 1867
oil on canvas
80.6 x 99.7 cm (31 3/4 x 39 1/4 in.)
framed: 105.7 x 125.4 x 12.7 cm (41 5/8 x 49 3/8 x 5 in.)
Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Gift of Raymonde Paul, in memory of her
brother, C. Michael Paul, by exchange, 1988
Frédéric Bazille
The Ramparts at Aigues-Mortes, 1867
oil on canvas
46 x 75.5 x 8.5 cm (18 1/8 x 29 3/4 x 3 3/8 in.)
framed: 67 x 76 x 12.5 cm (26 3/8 x 29 15/16 x 4 15/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Oleanders, 1867
oil on canvas
55.2 x 91.4 cm (21 3/4 x 36 in.)
framed: 81.3 x 116.8 x 10.2 cm (32 x 46 x 4 in.)
Cincinnati Art Museum, Gift of Mark P. Herschede
Frédéric Bazille
Portraits of the *** Family, called The Family Gathering, 1867
oil on canvas
152 x 230 cm (59 13/16 x 90 9/16 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, purchased with the assistance of Marc Bazille, 1924
Frédéric Bazille
Still Life with Heron, 1867
oil on canvas
98 x 78 x 3 cm (38 9/16 x 30 11/16 x 1 3/16 in.)
framed: 116 x 97 x 10 cm (45 11/16 x 38 3/16 x 3 15/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
View of the Village, 1868
oil on canvas
137.5 x 85.5 x 2.5 cm (54 1/8 x 33 11/16 x 1 in.)
framed: 157 x 107 x 8 cm (61 13/16 x 42 1/8 x 3 1/8 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Fisherman with a Net, 1868
oil on canvas
137.8 x 86.6 cm (54 1/4 x 34 1/8 in.)
framed: 165.5 x 116 x 11 cm (65 3/16 x 45 11/16 x 4 5/16 in.)
weight: 60.186 lb. (27.3 kg)
Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck / Sammlung Rau für UNICEF
Frédéric Bazille
Studies for a Grape Harvest, 1868
oil on canvas
38 x 90 cm (14 15/16 x 35 7/16 in.)
framed: 52 x 106.5 cm (20 1/2 x 41 15/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Pierre Auguste Renoir, 1868-1869
oil on canvas
61.2 x 50 cm (24 1/8 x 19 11/16 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, on loan from the National Fine Art Museum of Algiers
Frédéric Bazille
Portrait of Alphonse Tissié in Cavalryman's Uniform, 1868-1869
oil on canvas
61.5 x 50.5 x 4 cm (24 3/16 x 19 7/8 x 1 9/16 in.)
framed: 81.5 x 71.5 x 9.5 cm (32 1/16 x 28 1/8 x 3 3/4 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
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Frédéric Bazille
Edmond Maître, 1869
oil on canvas
overall: 83.2 x 64 cm (32 3/4 x 25 3/16 in.)
framed: 109.2 x 90.2 x 8.9 cm (43 x 35 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Frédéric Bazille
Summer Scene (Bathers), 1869
oil on canvas
160 x 160.7 cm (63 x 63 1/4 in.)
framed: 192.1 x 192.4 x 12.4 cm (75 5/8 x 75 3/4 x 4 7/8 in.)
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. F. Meynier de Salinelles
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Frédéric Bazille
The Fortune-Teller, 1868
oil on canvas
unframed: 61 x 46 cm (24 x 18 1/8 in.)
Private collection
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Frédéric Bazille
Édouard Blau, 1866
oil on canvas
overall: 59.5 x 43.2 cm (23 7/16 x 17 in.)
framed: 69.5 x 53 x 5.1 cm (27 3/8 x 20 7/8 x 2 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Chester Dale Collection
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Frédéric Bazille
La Toilette, 1870
oil on canvas
130 x 128 x 2.7 cm (51 3/16 x 50 3/8 x 1 1/16 in.)
framed: 152.2 x 148.5 x 8.5 cm (59 15/16 x 58 7/16 x 3 3/8 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Bazille's Studio or The Studio on the Rue La Condamine, 1870
oil on canvas
98 x 128.5 cm (38 9/16 x 50 9/16 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, bequest of Marc Bazille, 1924
Frédéric Bazille
Flowers, 1869-1870
oil on canvas
63 x 48.5 x 3.3 cm (24 13/16 x 19 1/8 x 1 5/16 in.)
framed: 87.3 x 73.3 x 10 cm (34 3/8 x 28 7/8 x 3 15/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Young Woman with Peonies, 1870
oil on canvas
overall: 60 x 75 cm (23 5/8 x 29 1/2 in.)
framed: 83.8 x 99.4 x 7.6 cm (33 x 39 1/8 x 3 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Frédéric Bazille
Young Woman with Peonies, 1870
oil on canvas
60.5 x 75.4 x 3.7 cm (23 13/16 x 29 11/16 x 1 7/16 in.)
framed: 83 x 97.5 x 10 cm (32 11/16 x 38 3/8 x 3 15/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Study for a Young Male Nude, 1870
oil on canvas
147.5 x 138 x 3.5 cm (58 1/16 x 54 5/16 x 1 3/8 in.)
framed: 168 x 159.5 x 9 cm (66 1/8 x 62 13/16 x 3 9/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Frédéric Bazille
Landscape on the Banks of Lez, 1870
oil on canvas
137.2 x 200.7 cm (54 x 79 in.)
framed: 168.3 x 232.4 x 10.2 cm (66 1/4 x 91 1/2 x 4 in.)
Frédéric Bazille
Ruth and Boaz, 1870
oil on canvas
137.5 x 202.8 x 4 cm (54 1/8 x 79 13/16 x 1 9/16 in.)
framed: 162.3 x 228 x 9 cm (63 7/8 x 89 3/4 x 3 9/16 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Paul Cézanne
Bather and Rocks, 1860-1866
oil on canvas
167.6 x 105.4 cm (66 x 41 1/2 in.)
framed: 196.2 x 133 x 8.9 cm (77 1/4 x 52 3/8 x 3 1/2 in.)
Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA
Paul Cézanne
The Stove in the Studio, about 1865
oil on canvas
41 x 30 cm (16 1/8 x 11 13/16 in.)
framed: 59 x 45.7 x 9.5 cm (23 1/4 x 18 x 3 3/4 in.)
The National Gallery, London. Acquired from the estate of Mrs. Helen Chester Beatty under the
acceptance-in-lieu procedure, 1992.
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
The Artist's Studio, c. 1868
oil on wood
overall: 61.8 x 40 cm (24 5/16 x 15 3/4 in.)
framed: 78.4 x 56.5 cm (30 7/8 x 22 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener Collection
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Attributed to Eugène Delacroix
Corner of the Studio, between 1825 and 1850
oil on canvas
51 x 43.4 cm (20 1/16 x 17 1/16 in.)
framed: 71 x 64 cm (27 15/16 x 25 3/16 in.)
Musée du Louvre, Gift of the Société des Amis du Louvre, 1913
Paul Guigou
Washerwomen on the Banks of the Durance, 1866
oil on canvas
overall: 66 x 115 cm (26 x 45 1/4 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Chester Dale Fund
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Edouard Manet
Eel and Red Mullet, 1864
oil on canvas
38 x 46.5 cm (14 15/16 x 18 5/16 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, gift of Dr. and Mrs. Albert Charpentier, 1951
Edouard Manet
Peony Stems and Pruning Shears, 1864
oil on canvas
56.6 x 46 cm (22 5/16 x 18 1/8 in.)
framed: 81.3 x 71.8 x 10.4 cm (32 x 28 1/4 x 4 1/8 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, legacy of Comte Isaac de Camondo, 1911
Claude Monet
The Beach at Honfleur, 1864
oil on canvas
60 x 81 cm (23 5/8 x 31 7/8 in.)
framed: 87 x 109.2 x 8.7 cm (34 1/4 x 43 x 3 7/16 in.)
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Reese Hale Taylor
Claude Monet
Spring Flowers, 1864
oil on canvas
116.8 x 90.5 cm (46 x 35 5/8 in.)
framed: 144.5 x 117.2 x 12.1 cm (56 7/8 x 46 1/8 x 4 3/4 in.)
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Hanna Fund
Claude Monet
Portrait of Bazille at the Farm of Saint-Siméon, 1864
oil on panel
40.5 x 31.5 x 8.2 cm (15 15/16 x 12 3/8 x 3 1/4 in.)
framed: 66 x 57.8 x 11.7 cm (26 x 22 3/4 x 4 5/8 in.)
Musée Fabre, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Claude Monet
Promenade (The Route to the Farm of Saint-Siméon), 1864
oil on canvas
81.6 x 46.4 cm (32 1/8 x 18 1/4 in.)
The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo. Matsukata Collection
Claude Monet
Rue de la Bavole, Honfleur, c. 1864
oil on canvas
55.9 x 61 cm (22 x 24 in.)
framed: 76.8 x 83.2 x 11.4 cm (30 1/4 x 32 3/4 x 4 1/2 in.)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Bequest of John T. Spaulding
Claude Monet
Bazille and Camille (Study for "Déjeuner sur l'Herbe"), 1865
oil on canvas
overall: 93 x 68.9 cm (36 5/8 x 27 1/8 in.)
framed: 121.9 x 98.4 x 10.7 cm (48 x 38 3/4 x 4 3/16 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Claude Monet
Women in the Garden, 1866
oil on canvas
255 x 205 cm (100 3/8 x 80 11/16 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Claude Monet
Sainte-Adresse, 1867
oil on canvas
overall: 57 x 80 cm (22 7/16 x 31 1/2 in.)
framed: 76.2 x 99.7 x 6.9 cm (30 x 39 1/4 x 2 11/16 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Catherine Gamble Curran and Family, in Honor ofthe 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Berthe Morisot
The Harbor at Lorient, 1869
oil on canvas
overall: 43.5 x 73 cm (17 1/8 x 28 3/4 in.)
framed: 64.7 x 95.2 x 7.6 cm (25 1/2 x 37 1/2 x 3 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Auguste Renoir
Diana, 1867
oil on canvas
overall: 199.5 x 129.5 cm (78 9/16 x 51 in.)
framed: 222.6 x 159.1 cm (87 5/8 x 62 5/8 in.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington, Chester Dale Collection
Auguste Renoir
Frédéric Bazille, 1867
oil on canvas
105 x 73.5 cm (41 5/16 x 28 15/16 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, on long-term loan at Musée Fabre/Montpellier, bequest of Marc Bazille,
1924
Auguste Renoir
Lise Sewing, c. 1867-1868
oil on canvas
56.52 x 46.36 cm (22 1/4 x 18 1/4 in.)
framed: 79.38 x 70.17 x 7.3 cm (31 1/4 x 27 5/8 x 2 7/8 in.)
Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection
Auguste Renoir
Boy with Cat, 1868
oil on canvas
123.5 x 66 cm (48 5/8 x 26 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Cat. No. 129
Gilbert de Séverac
Claude Monet, 1865
oil on canvas
unframed: 40 x 32 cm (15 3/4 x 12 5/8 in.)
Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris
oil on canvas
80 x 100 x 3.2 cm (31 1/2 x 39 3/8 x 1 1/4 in.)
framed: 96.5 x 113.5 x 8 cm (38 x 44 11/16 x 3 1/8 in.)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, on long-term loan at Musée Fabre/Montpellier, gift of Mrs. Pierre Goujon, 1971