Family Portraits

The impressionist masters were known for their close relationships. Their peers, family, art dealers, and patrons all featured regularly in their artworks, and children were favored subjects. All aspects of childhood and family life at the end of the nineteenth century—maternity, nannies, education, gardens, games, beaches, animals, adolescence, and daydreams—were depicted in the works of Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt, and Berthe Morisot. This volume draws an intimate portrait of the everyday lives of these artists and their families. One hundred paintings complete with historical and biographical context are featured alongside genealogical trees and family photographs of the impressionists, juxtaposed with more contemporary works. This book transcends the archetypal representation of the child to decipher the subject in all its facets.

Published to accompany an exhibition at the Musée des Impressionismes Giverny in spring 2023, this volume is a tribute to children and family ties.