Berthe Morisot: The woman impressionist

As the result of an important agreement reached with the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, this autumn the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza will be presenting the first monographic exhibition in Spain on the work of the Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot. Married to Eugène Manet, brother of her teacher Édouard Manet, Morisot was the first female painter to join the ranks of the Impressionists, taking part in the legendary First Impressionist Exhibition of 1874 and in other subsequent ones of the group. More than thirty works from the Musée Marmottan Monet will be shown alongside others from the Thyssen collections, allowing visitors to discover the elegant, luminous work of this painter, expressed in the form of landscapes, scenes of daily life and female subjects. Morisot’s life and work also allow for an analysis of the role of women in late 19th-century France given that she was not just a great creative figure but also an urban, middle-class woman who was interested in fashion. Furthermore, as an active member of the cultural scene of the day she supported intellectuals and artists such as Manet, Renoir, Monet, Pissarro, Degas and Mallarmé. In Paul Valery’s words: “Berthe Morisot’s uniqueness lies in the fact that she lived her painting and painted her life.”