Post-Impressionism

A survey of the two decades between the mid 1880s and 1905

The term "Post-Impressionism" was coined in 1910 by Roger Fry, an English art critic who was trying to find an expression that could describe Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Gauguin's painting as well as Seurat, Sérusier, Denis or Redon's.

Organized by the musée d'Orsay at the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the "Post-Impressionism" exhibition focuses on the two bubbling decades between the mid 1880s and the mid 1900s, i.e. from the last collective exhibition of the Impressionists in 1886 to the Autumn Salon of 1905 marked by the "Fauves" scandal: Derain, Matisse and Vlaminck, with their explosive colors.

The catalogue shows the full span of pictorial reactions to Impressionism with masterpieces from the musée d'Orsay, by insisting on the richness and complexity of the Post-Impressionist constellation.

Taking a monographic or a group approach, the book seeks to highlight the intrinsic qualities of each painter's work, and the interactions between these artists, who are part of the Impressionist legacy and will inspire avant-garde artists like Braque or Picasso.

This catalogue, rich in images and essays, delves into the art of this fascinating and pivotal double decade, during which plastic expression gradually moved away from the representation of reality towards the expression of the psychic, emotional and spiritual worlds of the artists.