The most famous French Impressionists

Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Claude Monet (1840 - 1926) freed himself from his academic background to forge a personal language. With Pierre-Auguste Renoir, he founded the Impressionist movement, in reaction to the constraints imposed by the official painting of the time.

His most celebrated works — Impression, Sunrise and the Water Lilies series — established him as a master of light. He left a corpus of more than 2000 canvases. In 1883, he settled in Giverny, where he spent close to forty years and managed to live from his art during his lifetime. 

Co-founder of the movement, Pierre-Auguste Renoir is famous for his luminous scenes of Parisian life. His painting Bal du Moulin de la Galette captures all the joy of an afternoon in Montmartre. His warm palette and his attention to faces make him one of the most popular painters of his time.

Painter and patron, Gustave Caillebotte played a central role in the influence of Impressionism. He organised four exhibitions devoted to the movement during the last quarter of the 19th century. His most famous works — Paris Street, Rainy Day, The Floor Scrapers and View of Rooftops (Snow Effect) — testify to a singular sensitivity towards the city and its inhabitants. An exhibition of 80 of his works was held at the Giverny museum in early 2016. 

Born in the West Indies, Camille Pissarro discovered painting during his school years in Passy, near Paris. Slightly older than the other members of the movement, he played the role of the wise elder. His rural landscapes and scenes of village life patiently explore variations of light.

Today recognized as one of the greatest painters of his generation, Paul Cézanne made the city of Aix-en-Provence and Mont Sainte-Victoire famous. The mountain inspired nearly 80 of his canvases, including Mont Sainte-Victoire seen from Bellevue. His work marks the transition between Impressionism and modern art.

This selection is far from exhausting the talent of all the painters who shaped the history of art at the end of the 19th century. Edgar Degas and Vincent Van Gogh, both central figures of post-Impressionism, deserve their place there too. To extend the discovery, the Giverny Museum of Impressionisms and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris display the most beautiful canvases of this artistic renaissance.