Impressionism & Surrealism, Revisited
One hundred fifty years ago, on April 15, 1874, the photographer Nadar invited a group of painters, many rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon, to display their works in his former Paris studio. The previous year, 22 of these artists had formed a cooperative society, the Société des artistes peintres, sculpteurs, graveurs, et lithographes; by the time of the show their number had swelled to 31 and included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, and Paul Cézanne. Featuring Monet’s Impression, Sunrise (1872)—a gauzy study of the Le Havre port at dawn that would later give its name to a movement—the exhibition was the first of its kind to showcase a new type of painting marked by contemporary subject matter and loose, bold brushwork.
Meanwhile, this October will mark 100 years since the 1924 debut of the Surrealist Manifesto, or rather manifestos, as two were published within weeks of each other, the first by French-German poet Yvan Goll and the second by French poet and critic André Breton, who would become Surrealism’s de facto leader.
Together, the two events ushered in what we think of as modern art.
The legacy of Surrealism and Impressionism is all around us, from the museums that continue to explore what leading artists like Salvador Dalí and Cézanne have to offer today’s audiences, to the contemporary artists whose practices are indebted to those visionaries who came before them. And yet, as well-trod as the paths around these movements may sometimes seem, there still appears to be unexplored territory. It was just two years ago, at the 59th Venice Biennale, that curator Cecilia Alemani brought a renewed focus to under-recognized women Surrealist artists. This year, exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret in Nice, France, promise to do the same for women Impressionists.
Follow along here as we explore what more there is to learn in Impressionism and Surrealism, Revisited:
Impressionism, Reexamined: How One of Art History’s Most Controversial Movements Finally Got Respect
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As Surrealism Turns 100, a Look at Its Enduring Legacy
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The Five Most Essential Books About Impressionism
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The Birth of Impressionism Comes to Life in a Groundbreaking Exhibition in Paris
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Eight Essential Books About Surrealism
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19 Must-See Impressionism Shows Around the World in 2024
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Surrealism in the Age of AI
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Who Was Mary Cassatt and Why Was She So Important?
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18 Impressionist Artworks that Capture the Spirit of the Movement
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‘Berthe Morisot in Nice’ Delves into the Impressionist Painter’s Working Methods
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Here’s How Museums Worldwide are Celebrating 100 Years of Surrealism
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Man Ray’s Experimental Short Films Still Captivate a Century Later
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15 Important Women Surrealists
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“Mary Cassatt at Work” Honors the Labor of Attention and Love
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