Gustave Caillebotte, Artist, Collector and Patron of the Impressionists

The story of Gustave Caillebotte (1848- 1894) is paradoxical. As a painter, now celebrated in great international exhibitions, he was, for a long time, only (re)known for his role as a patron of his Impressionist friends, as a financier of their exhibitions, and for his activity as a collector. He regularly supported the presence of women artists in group exhibitions. But the gift he made out of his collection in 1894, one of the most important of his time (Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, etc.), was refused by the French State... then accepted... but only, alas, in part. His story is the illustration of a fabulous personal destiny, but also of the missed opportunities of History.

Language: French. Online