Mary Cassatt l'indépendante

Exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, 6 October 2026 – 31 January 2027

Born into a wealthy family in Pennsylvania, Mary Cassatt decided at a very early age to become a professional artist, at a time when such an ambition was still largely unacceptable for a woman of her standing. Trained in Europe, she settled in Paris and asserted her artistic and personal independence within a predominantly male milieu. Her talent and determination opened the doors to the Impressionist circle. Mary Cassatt sensitively captured elegant young women moving in high society, at the theatre and in domestic settings. Her depictions of mothers and children, as well as her pastels and colour prints, bear witness to constant inventiveness and exceptional technical mastery.

Her independence was also intellectual and political. She created a large mural at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago on the theme of the modern woman, then put her art at the service of women’s emancipation and actively supported the campaign for women’s suffrage.

Bringing together paintings, pastels, prints, previously unpublished letters and recent research, this exhibition catalogue offers a fresh perspective on a free-spirited, daring and resolutely independent artist. It invites readers to rediscover a major figure in modern art whose exceptional career was defined by independence.