Baigneuses by Berthe Morisot

Berthe Morisot
1841-1895 | French

Baigneuses
(The Bathers)

Signed "Berthe Morisot" (lower left)
Oil on canvas

Among the legendary Impressionists, Berthe Morisot stands out as not only a titan of the movement but also as one of the most pioneering female artists in history. She transcended societal norms simply by being an artist in the mid-19th century, but she didn’t stop there. Morisot was also a founding member of the Impressionists and the only woman at the movement's beginning. This extraordinary oil on canvas, Baigneuses (The Bathers), reflects Morisot at her most liberated and inventive, with its radiant color, fluid brushwork and intimate setting coalescing into a mesmerizing masterwork.

Painted in the spring of 1892, this remarkable work features Jeanne Fourmanoir, one of Morisot’s favorite models, bathing in the tranquil pond on the grounds of the Château du Mesnil—a sprawling property in Juziers, France purchased by Morisot and her husband Eugène Manet just a few months earlier. Morisot perfectly renders the quiet seclusion of the moment and the lushness of the château’s environs in her signature palette of rich blues and greens complemented by soft pinks. The Bathers captures not only the tender beauty of its subjects but also a pivotal moment in Morisot’s artistic evolution.

This painting is emblematic of the increasingly expressive, sensual quality that emerged in Morisot’s work during this period. Art historians have noted that when she reached her 50s, the artist likely felt a newfound sense of freedom from the expectations of her male counterparts. Departing from her earlier focus on friends and family, Morisot boldly tackles a subject frequently depicted by men in The Bathers and infuses it with her dynamic sense of femininity, independence and introspection. Propelled by her use of the professional model Jeanne Fourmanoir—who was introduced to Morisot through her fellow Impressionists Renoir and Zandomeneghi—Morisot explores the intimate connection between the female body and the natural world and pushes the boundary between observation and abstraction through a brilliant interplay of light and color.

Born in Bourges, France, in 1841, Berthe Morisot came from a wealthy family. Like many young girls of her social class, she received private art lessons beginning at the age of 11. Her teacher, the painter Joseph Guichard, helped to introduce her to the Parisian art scene. Through him, Morisot made the acquaintances of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Édouard Manet, both of whom would have a profound impact on her career and artistic style.

Morisot exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon from 1864 to 1873 until, in 1874, she officially joined and became a vital leader of the Impressionists. They held their first exhibition that same year, and Morisot would go on to exhibit in all but one of the eight Impressionist shows. Today, Morisot has been the focus of endless scholarship and exhibitions, including a major retrospective at The Barnes Foundation in 2019 that traveled to the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Musée d’Orsay. The majority of Morisot’s works are held in prestigious museum collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, the Musée du Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

Painted 1892

Canvas: 15 3/4" high x 12 1/2" wide (40.01 x 31.75 cm)
Frame: 21 3/4" high x 18 1/2" wide x 1 1/2" deep (55.25 x 46.99 x 3.81 cm)

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Provenance:
Marcel Midy, Paris, acquired in the 1950s
Thence by descent
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Literature:
M. Angoulvent, Berthe Morisot, Paris, 1933, p. 145, no. 532
M.-L. Bataille & G. Wildenstein, Berthe Morisot, Catalogue de peintures, pastels et aquarelles, Paris, 1961, p. 43, 292, no. 302 (illustrated, fig. 311)
A. Clairet, D. Montalant & Y. Rouart, Berthe Morisot, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Montolivet, 1997, p. 362, no. 306 (illustrated, p. 263)

Exhibited:
Paris, Galerie Bernheim, Réunion d'œuvres par Berthe Morisot, June-July 1922, no. 49
Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Plaisirs de la campagne, June 1954, no. 128
Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André, Berthe Morisot, March-April 1961, no. 82