Although this exhibition had been planned for some time, it is highly appropriate in light of the women’s activities that are in the news today. During here lifetime, Mary Cassatt (b. 1844 – d. 1926) was what would now be called a feminist. She advocated equal rights for women from her days in college in the 1860s to campaigning for women’s right to vote in the 1910s.
Cassatt was born in Pennsylvania to well-educated parents, and eventually took art classes at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In 1868, she quite the art academy because of its slow pace and moved to Paris. Cassatt wanted to be a professional artist, not just a painter to pass the time. In Paris she learned from great artists and teachers, had access to the incredible museums and found inspiration from other painters.
Mary Cassatt Found Like-Minded Friends in Paris
Mary not only succeeded while in Paris, but excelled at painting. She grew from producing academic work into an impressionist master. Mary was friends with many well-known impressionist painters including Edgar Degas. She and Degas became close friends and colleagues, each learning from the other. Along with Degas, Cassatt entered her paintings in the famous salons of Paris and in the Impressionists Exhibitions. Galleries in Paris showed her work with galleries in New York following soon after.
Cassatt’s paintings often feature mothers with their children, sometimes caring for the children in tender moments. As well as painting, she was a master at drawing and print making, she advised art collectors and was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1904.
The current exhibition includes loans from major museums in the United States and Europe. Masterpieces from institutions like the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Musée d’Orsay, the Petit Palais, the Bilbao Museum of Fine Arts and more are on display in the magnificent museum. Check out the museum’s site to see how over-the-top the place is. Then, take a look at the exhibit. See if it strikes your fancy and post a comment!
Mary Cassatt, An American Impressionist in Paris
Where: Le Musée Jacquemart-André
Address: 158, boulevard Haussmann
Arrondissement: 8th
Nearest Métro: Saint-Augustin, Miromesnil or Saint-Philippe du Roule
When: March 9 – July 23, 2018. Late openings on Mondays during the exhibition.
Admission: Entrance fee
Official website: http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com
