Édouard Manet

ÉDOUARD MANET (France, 1832 - 1883).
Untitled.
Etching and aquatint illuminated in color.
Signed in plate.
Measurements: 17 x 11 cm (print); 22 x 16 cm (paper); 48 x 39 cm (frame).

Édouard Manet, born into a wealthy Parisian family in 1832, emerged as a pivotal and ambiguous figure in the history of nineteenth-century French art. His work served as a crucial link between the techniques of the great masters of the past and the modern painting that would crystallize in Impressionism. Although Manet rubbed shoulders with the young Impressionists - maintaining close friendships with artists such as Claude Monet - he opted for an independent path. He consistently refused to join the group's group shows, obsessed with achieving recognition at the conservative Paris Salon. Works such as Olympia -a provocative update of Titian's Venus of Urbino- and Lunch on the Grass (both 1863), challenged moral and artistic codes by introducing contemporary nudes and direct glances at the viewer, consolidating him as the reference of avant-garde art. His work is currently preserved in the best art galleries and institutions in the world.