The year 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the first Impressionist exhibition, which took place in Paris in the spring of 1874. This private art exhibition, the first of its kind, was a catalyzing moment in the development of European modernism and its repercussions can still be felt in art production today.
To celebrate the occasion, a special screen production has been developed along with multiple exhibitions around the world, including at the National Gallery of Art in DC, the Musée d’Dorsay in Paris, and the DMA’s own The Impressionist Revolution from Monet to Matisse, on view through November 2.
The film was developed in co-production with ARTE France and the Musée d’Orsay to capture the birth and rise of Impressionism over the 12 years leading up to the 1874 exhibition.
In partnership with Terranoa, GEDEON PROGRAMMES, The Musée d’Orsay, Impressionist Adventures, and Arte France, the DMA is proud to present a North Texas exclusive screening of 1874: The Birth of Impressionism on Saturday, September 14, at 2:00 p.m.
A brief introduction will be given by Nicole R. Myers, PhD, the DMA’s Chief Curatorial and Research Officer and Barbara Thomas Lemmon Senior Curator of European Art.
The feature-length film shares the art and life of the young, rebellious artists in Paris of the 1860s and 1870s, including Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Manet, Morisot, Degas, Sisley, Pissarro, and Bazille.
Setting the stage:
Boulevard des Capucines/ Nadar Studio: The red neon light from the top-floor studio of well-known photographer Nadar projects a faint red glow onto the bustling Parisian boulevard below, near the newly built Opera.
Inside the building, against the red wall coverings of Nadar’s studio, artists are hanging their paintings. Excited to present nearly 150 works to the public, they pose proudly for the camera, among them are Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley.
It’s an exhibition of rebel artists who can no longer bear being rejected from the official art show held each year in Paris at the Palais de l’Industrie, the famous “Salon.” It’s the first time a group of artists has dared to organize an independent exhibition themselves. In this spring of 1874, both the purpose of the exhibition and the personalities of the artists involved will resonate historically.
This is a free event. Space is limited and is first come, first served.
Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Event begins at 2:00 p.m.
Come early to experience our Impressionism-inspired plein-air painter Patrick Reeves working on Eagle Family Plaza from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and join the celebration with sparkling wine* and movie-inspired snacks at a special Horchow Pop-Up Bar.
* Drinks and snacks purchased from the Pop-Up Bar will be allowed into the auditorium for the film screening, but may not leave the Horchow Lobby.
