Renoir

New edition

Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) produced more than 4,000 works, which are now housed in the world's greatest museums. An early Impressionist, he enjoyed an uninterrupted career spanning sixty years, during which he developed a highly personal palette whose irresistible colours and sensual, intimate approach immediately captivate the viewer: simple characters, studio models or bourgeois figures, joyful scenes from everyday life, opulent nudes. Although the considerable differences in quality between works from the same period have damaged the painter's reputation, his numerous masterpieces remain in the pantheon of art history.

This monograph brings to life the effervescence of the artistic milieu of the time: Charles Gounod encouraged Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Frédéric Bazille became his close friends, and Daubigny and Corot supported him. Writers were not to be outdone: Zola, Stéphane Mallarmé and Octave Mirbeau became ardent defenders of his work. From circles of friends in Parisian salons and world fairs to artists' studios and escapades in Brittany, Italy, Algeria and Cagnes-sur-Mer, the painter forged an identity that was instantly recognisable. The role of major dealers and even patrons, such as Paul Durand-Ruel, Charles Ephrussi, Paul Berard, Albert Cahen d'Anvers, Dr Barnes, Henri Rouart and others, plays an important part in this story.