Édouard Manet

Édouard Manet (1832-1883) was a French painter and a key figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. His Déjeuner sur l'herbe and Olympia (both 1863) shocked Paris with their modern subjects and flat handling. He painted Parisian city life, cafés and portraits, and admired Velázquez and Goya. Although he never exhibited with the Impressionists, he was their model and friend. His last major work is A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882).