An exhibition organised by the Réunion des musées nationaux-Grand Palais in partnership with the Musée d'Orsay and in cooperation with the National Gallery, London, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

It will be presented at the National Gallery, London from 4 March to 31 May 2015, then at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 18 June to 13 September 2015.

The museums have not yet dedicated an event or comprehensive study to Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922), one of the greatest dealers in the world at the turn of the 20th century and a major figure in the history of Impressionism.

From the beginning of the 1870s, Paul Durand-Ruel discovered and supported Impressionist painters with flair and passion, buying and selling thousands of Impressionist paintings, including the masterpieces of the movement, often in difficult circumstances.

A painting "missionary" as Renoir liked to call him, he also contributed to the invention of the modern art market and gave an unprecedented international dimension to his gallery, particularly in the United States. At the turn of the 20th century, the dealer had established the largest European and American Impressionist collections, both public and private.

Through some 80 paintings, drawings, photographs and documents, the exhibition will recount a crucial time, from the end of the 1860s to the turn of the 20th century, where an artistic avant-garde gained international recognition driven by an enterprising and inventive dealer.

By considering the part played by a gallery in actually writing the history of a movement and its appreciation, both the exhibition and the catalogue, which is designed as a richly illustrated reference work, will reflect the detailed research that is kindly and generously supported by the Archives Durand-Ruel.

Musée du Luxembourg

19 Rue de Vaugirard
Paris 75006 France
Ph. +33 (0)1 40136200
www.museeduluxembourg.fr

Opening hours

Tuesday - Thursday from 10am to 7pm
Monday and Friday from 10am to 10pm
Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 8pm

Related images
  1. Claude Monet, Le Jardin de l’artiste, 1873, Huile sur toile, 61 x 82,5 cm, Washington, National Gallery of Art, © National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. Camille Pissarro, Le Carrefour, Pontoise, ou Place du vieux cimetière, Pontoise, 1872, Huile sur toile, 55 x 94 cm, Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Art, © Image courtesy Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh
  3. Paul Cézanne, Le Moulin de la Couleuvre à Pontoise, 1881, Berlin, Alte Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, © BPK, Berlin, dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Klaus Göken
  4. Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Durand-Ruel, 1910, Huile sur toile, 65 x 54 cm, Archives Durand-Ruel, © Durand-Ruel & Cie
  5. Claude Monet, Peupliers, trois arbres roses, automne, 1891, Huile sur toile, 93 x 74,1 cm, Philadelphie, Philadelphia Museum of art, © Philadelphia Museum of art
  6. Mary Cassatt, Le bain de l’enfant, 1893, Huile sur toile, 100,3 x 66,1 cm, Chicago, Art Institute, © Chicago, Art Institute