Woman with a Fan or At the Ball, 1875
Oil on canvas, 62 × 52 cm
Gift of Eugène and Victorine Donop de Monchy, 1940. Inv. 4020
Paris, musée Marmottan Monet © musée Marmottan Monet
In the year internationally dedicated to Impressionism, from 16 October 2024 to 9 March 2025 the GAM – Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea of Turin presents the exhibition “Berthe Morisot. Impressionist painter”, which celebrates the history and artistic path of the only woman among the founders of the impressionist movement.
The exhibition, curated by Maria Teresa Benedetti and Giulia Perin, in collaboration with the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, illustrates Morisot’s link with the poetics of movement and brings out his very personal stamp in capturing the lability of the moment, to symbol of the fragility of existence, capable of gracefully representing the elements of nature and reality. The exhibition setup also includes a display, specially designed for the exhibition itinerary, by Stefano Arienti, one of the most recognized Italian artists, which creates a comparison with Morisot and the values of the impressionist language, curated by Chiara Bertola, Director of the GAM.
A great interpreter of the Nouvelle Peinture, Berthe Morisot played an important role in the history of the movement by participating in seven of the eight impressionist exhibitions that were held from 1874 to 1886 (the only absence was in 1879 for the birth of her daughter). In 1874 Berthe married Eugène Manet, Édouard’s brother, entering the family by right. Regardless of the presence of Manet, the most important artist of her time, Morisot continued to live her creative life intensely, linking herself directly to the group. Through a selection of works, including famous paintings and engravings, coming from prestigious public institutions – including, in addition to the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Pau, the Museo Nacional Thyssen -Bornemisza in Madrid, the Musée d’Ixelles in Brussels, the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art (INHA) in Paris – and important private collections, the exhibition traces the life and career of Berthe Morisot, from her beginnings connected to the artistic and human association with Édouard Manet, up to full adherence to impressionist poetics.
The exhibition itinerary develops in thematic sections dedicated to the main protagonists of Morisot’s production – outdoor places, interiors animated by figures caught in situations of intimacy or in the brilliance of social life, seascapes, family, houses and gardens – and tells his light style, sometimes surprisingly elliptical and modern. Light, the undisputed protagonist of his production, envelops and radiates the surface of the works through brilliant brushstrokes, reaching its maximum expression in the en plein air scenes, always characterized by vibrant and chromatically intense atmospheres.
