Manet: A Model Family Exhibit at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

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Venue:	Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Dates:	Thursday, October 10, 2024 - Monday, January 20, 2025
Hours:	Hours Vary see below
In/Outdoor:	Indoor
Cost:	$$ see below
Category:	Exhibits

Manet: A Model Family, on view October 10, 2024 – January 20, 2025 in the Hostetter Gallery, is the first exhibition to explore Manet through the lens of his complex family relationships.

After all, every family is complicated—why would the Manets be any different?

Every artist has their muses.

For Édouard Manet (1832-1883), one of thoses muses was family.

But the home life of the French painter was complicated, even by today’s standards.

They were a model family in this way: perfectly imperfect, full of love, support, and uncomfortable secrets between them.

They were not only archetypal, but model in a literal sense as well, posing for Édouard Manet and immortalized in his bold brushstrokes.

Much of the story revolves around the artist’s most frequent sitters: his wife, Suzanne Leenhoff—formerly employed by the Édouard’s parents—and her son, Léon.

The identity of Léon’s biological father is still unknown, but many suspect Édouard’s father Auguste, which would make Léon both the artist’s stepson and half-brother.

Despite the possibility of scandal, the family was happy, and through their support and encouragement, Édouard flourished.

Viewing Manet’s art through the lens of his relationships deepens our understanding of his work.

This incredible exhibition will bring together loans from across the United States and Europe, and is anchored by Madame Auguste Manet, a portrait of the artist’s mother purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner in 1909—“a colossal thing” according to her art dealer, Bernard Berenson.

Now, nearly 150 years since his passing, Manet: A Model Family at the Gardner Museum is the first exhibition to explore Manet through the lens of the complex familial relationships between and amongst the artist and his sitters, shedding new light on the life and masterpieces of the “father of modernism.”

HOURS

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COST

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Adults: $22 Seniors 65 and up: $20 Students: $15 Children 17 and under: Free Members: Free

WEBSITE

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www.gardnermuseum.org/calendar/manet-model-family

LOCATION

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25 Evans Way, Boston, MA map
Phone: 617-566-1401