Édouard Manet

French painter Edouard Manet (1832-1883) bridged Realism and Impressionism, becoming what many consider the father of modernism. His bold, flat areas of color and contemporary subjects shocked the Paris art establishment. Olympia and Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe caused scandals at the Salon for their unflinching modernity, depicting real women rather than mythological figures. Manet transformed Velazquez's Spanish traditions into something radically new.

Born to an affluent family (his mother was goddaughter of the Swedish Crown Prince), Manet trained under Thomas Couture while studying Old Masters at the Louvre, particularly Velazquez, whom he called "the painter of painters." The Salon rejected Le Dejeuner in 1863; it appeared at the Salon des Refuses instead. Novelist Emile Zola championed his work. Though the spiritual father of Impressionism, Manet refused to exhibit with them, seeking traditional Salon honors. He befriended Monet, Degas, and Renoir through Berthe Morisot. He died at 51 from complications of syphilis. The Musee d'Orsay holds Olympia and Le Dejeuner; the Courtauld Gallery owns A Bar at the Folies-Bergere.