Painter, Patron, and Impressario — Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter's Eye

Gustave Caillebotte, French, 1848-1894; Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877. Oil on canvas (1866); Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection, Art Institute, Chicago

"In the following years, perhaps under the continuing anxiety of impending death, Caillebotte worked at his highest levels of energy and achievement, in all the roles of painter, patron, and impressario. The 1877 exhibition of the Impressionists was, as Richard Brettell rightly asserts, 'Caillebotte's exhibition.' He undertook the diplomacy necessary to bring into alliance all the differing factions connected with the enterprise (failing only in his effort to obtain Manet's participation) and then found and rented the apartment where the show took place. The result was not only the most selective, coherent and refined of all the Impressionist exhibitions, but arguably, the best exhibtion ever mounted of the progressive currents in French painting of the 1870s. Even more than a century's hindsight, it still seems a singular achievement. In the display were several major works from Caillebotte's own collection, by Degas, Pissarro, Monet, and Renoir; and out of the show he purchased one of the most-remarked pieces, Renoir's Bal du Moulin de la Galette."

— Gustave Caillebotte by Kirk Varnedoe

Fifty of the most important and beloved paintings of Paris and its environs by impressionist Gustave Caillebotte (1848–1894) are the focus of the first major US retrospective of the artist's work in 20 years. On view in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, Washington through October 4, 2015, Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter's Eye provide visitors with a better understanding of Caillebotte's artistic character and the complexity of his contribution to modernist painting.

"Caillebotte's paintings were inaccessible for almost a century, and they are still hard to come by in public institutions. For those interested in his work, there is no place to go to get a deep or broad sense of his achievement. We are thrilled to present this exhibition and accompanying publication to a new generation of art lovers and those hungry for another peek at his best works," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art.

After Washington, Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter's Eye will be on view at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, from November 8, 2015, through February 14, 2016.

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth. The exhibition is made possible through the leadership support of the Leonard and Elaine Silverstein Family Foundation. The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation also provided generous support. It is also supported by Count and Countess de La Haye St. Hilaire. The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

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Painter, Patron, and Impressario — Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter's Eye

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