“The Frick presents three canvases by Édouard Manet (1832–1883) from the collection of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, marking the first time the paintings will be exhibited together elsewhere since their acquisition. Considered the father of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and, by some, twentieth-century abstraction, Manet was a revolutionary in his own time and a legend thereafter. Beyond his pivotal role in art history as the creator of iconic masterworks, Manet’s vision has come to define how we understand modern urban life and Paris, the so-called ‘capital of the nineteenth-century.’ The works in the exhibition encapsulate three ‘views’ of the artist’s life and work. Each canvas offers an opportunity to consider the range of Manet’s pioneering vision. Madame Manet (ca. 1876) encourages visitors to consider how the artist’s biography impacts the way in which his paintings are understood, while the pristinely preserved Fish and Shrimp (1864) prompts an appreciation of his sheer technical skill. Finally, The Ragpicker (1867–71, possibly reworked 1876-77) demonstrates Manet’s innovative combination of references to contemporary visual culture and Old Master painting. Manet: Three Paintings from the Norton Simon Museum is the seventh in a series of acclaimed reciprocal loans with the California museum.” — The Frick Collection

Édouard Manet. Madame Manet, ca. 1876. Oil on canvas, 23 7/8 x 20 inches. Norton Simon Art Foundation, Gift of Mr. Norton Simon, Pasadena, California

Édouard Manet. Fish and Shrimp, 1864. Oil on canvas, 17 5/8 x 28 3/4 inches. Norton Simon Art Foundation, Pasadena, California

Édouard Manet. The Ragpicker, 1867–71, possibly reworked in 1876–77. Oil on canvas, 76 3/4 x 51 1/2 inches. The Norton Simon Foundation, Pasadena, California

The exhibition was organized by David Pullins, formerly Assistant Curator, The Frick Collection.

Images courtesy The Frick Collection.