In early 2012, The Frick Collection presented an exhibition of nine iconic Impressionist paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, offering the first comprehensive study of the artist's engagement with the full-length format, which was associated with the official Paris Salon in the decade that saw the emergence of a fully fledged Impressionist aesthetic.
"Up and Down the Garden Path: Secrets of La Promenade Revealed," by Colin B. Bailey, The Frick Collection, and Charlotte Hale, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Saturday, May 5, 2012. The Frick's Promenade is the most important Impressionist painting acquired by Henry Clay Frick. In researching this well-known work for the exhibition Renoir, Impressionism, and Full-Length Painting, many technical and documentary discoveries were made.
Alex Gordon Lecture in the History of Art: "Renoir and the Democracy of Fashion," by Aileen Ribeiro, Courtauld Institute of Art, London, March 28, 2012. The period after the fall of the Second Empire in France saw huge developments in the fashion industry, not just in haute couture, but also in the greater availability of ready-to-wear clothes and in the emergence of Paris's shopping culture. More people than ever before expressed an interest in fashion trends, a phenomenon that was reflected in contemporary art and literature.
There is a long tradition in Western European art of the full-length format. The Frick's Colin B. Bailey examines the sort of art Renoir was looking back to when, during the 1870s and early '80s, as a founding Impressionist, he chose this format to paint some of his most joyful and ambitious pictures of everyday life in the metropolis.
"Renoir and the Woman of Paris," by Anne Distel, independent scholar, March 7, 2012. In characterizing Renoir's art, Cézanne once said that his old friend had "painted the woman of Paris." Cézanne's insight provides the point of departure for this lecture, which takes a closer look at Renoir's female figures.
Between 1874 and 1885 Renoir—unlike other Impressionists—produced large-scale works in both full-length and horizontal formats in which he explored the grandeur of Parisian life, leisure, and fashion.
This video was created in conjunction with the exhibition Renoir, Impressionism, and Full-Length Painting, on view at The Frick Collection from February 7th through May 13th, 2012.
This video was created in conjunction with the exhibition Renoir, Impressionism, and Full-Length Painting, on view at The Frick Collection from February 7th through May 13th, 2012.
This video was created in conjunction with the exhibition Renoir, Impressionism, and Full-Length Painting, on view at The Frick Collection from February 7th through May 13th, 2012.
Frick Madison is open to the public.
Advance tickets are strongly recommended.
Reservations are encouraged for members.
Your generosity sustains our world-class public programs, research, and conservation efforts.
Museum and library news straight to your inbox.
Sign up today!
