A Bar at the Folies-Bergère

Édouard Manet completed this painting in 1882, just a year before his death at 51. A barmaid stands behind a marble counter at the Folies-Bergère, a famous Parisian music hall known for its lively entertainment and diverse clientele. Bottles of champagne and beer, a bowl of oranges, and a vase of roses fill the bar top with colorful still life details.

The mirror behind the barmaid creates a puzzling reflection that has fascinated viewers for over a century. Her reflection appears displaced to the right, and she seems to be serving a top-hatted gentleman whose corresponding figure should appear in front of us but doesn't. Whether Manet intended this spatial impossibility or simply made compositional choices that defied strict perspective remains debated.

Manet exhibited the work at the Paris Salon of 1882, receiving mixed reviews. Today it hangs in the National Gallery in London, proof of his lasting influence on modern painting.