A remarkable exhibition of more than 80 Impressionist paintings by leading women from Paris to America will soon be opening at this renowned Western institution. What’s the story?
“Her Paris: Women Artists in the Age of Impressionism” is sure to be a major draw for the Denver Art Museum. The show, which opens on October 22, will bring together more than 80 paintings by 37 women artists from across Europe and America who migrated to the “City of Light” to further their careers. Among them are Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Rosa Bonheur, Anna Ancher, and Paula Modersohn-Becker, to name just a few.
“Even though Paris was known as a cosmopolitan city, Parisian society was still very restrictive for women,” the museum writes. “They were not allowed to attend to the École des Beaux-Arts (Academy of Fine Arts) — the country’s most important art academy — until 1897, and it was not socially acceptable to frequent public spaces, such as cafes, to work on their art and mingle with their peers without a male companion. The exhibition will trace how, despite societal challenges, women embraced their artistic aspirations and helped create an alternative system that included attending private academies, exhibiting independently, and forming their own organizations, such as the influential Union des Femmes Peintres et Sculpteurs.”
“Her Paris” will remain on view through January 14, 2018. To learn more, visit the Denver Art Museum.
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