Frederic Bazille and the Birth of Impressionism

A collection of essays, paintings, and personal correspondence celebrates the life and legacy of Frédéric Bazille, an instrumental but largely unsung iImpressionist talent. The paintings of Frédéric Bazille (1841–1870) were rediscovered after the turn of the nineteenth-century by art critics and curators who credited the artist as an important pioneer in the development of Impressionism. Tracing his artistic career from its inception—including his links to Manet, Monet, Renoir, and Cézanne—this book unveils Bazille’s complete painted works. Organized both thematically and chronologically, this monograph also features facsimiles of the artist’s personal letters interspersed throughout the book on special paper inserts, and it is completed with a comprehensive bibliography, a list of works, and maps detailing his life in Montpellier and Paris. The book accompanies an exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. from April 9 to July 9, 2017.