Guards had to be stationed around Olympia to prevent physical attack. The painting, exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon, depicts a prostitute staring directly at the viewer, attended by a Black servant holding flowers from a client. The journalist Antonin Proust recalled that only administrative precautions saved the canvas from being destroyed. Two years earlier, Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe, rejected by the official Salon and shown at the Salon des Refuses, had caused a similar fury: a naked woman among fully clothed men at a picnic.
Key facts
- Lived
- 1832–1883, French
- Movements
- Works held in
- 33 museums
Biography
Manet was born in 1832 into wealth. His father was a high court judge. His mother was the daughter of a diplomat and goddaughter of the Swedish Crown Prince, from whom all subsequent Swedish monarchs descend. The family wanted him to study law. He refused. As a compromise, he attempted the naval college entrance exam. Failed. Was sent on a merchant ship to Rio de Janeiro. Took the exam again on return. Failed again. His father finally relented and let him study art.
He repeatedly refused invitations to exhibit with the Impressionists, insisting that the official Salon was where serious artists should show their work. This despite the fact that his own paintings had done more to provoke the movement into existence than any other single body of work. Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro acknowledged the debt. He kept his distance anyway.
He contracted syphilis. By 1879 he was receiving hydrotherapy treatments, believing the problem was circulatory. The actual diagnosis was locomotor ataxia, a late-stage syphilis complication. His left foot was amputated in April 1883 due to gangrene. He died eleven days later, aged fifty-one.
Timeline
- 1832Born in Paris into a wealthy bourgeois family; his father was a senior judge and his mother the goddaughter of the Swedish crown prince.
- 1850Aged 18, entered the studio of Thomas Couture in Paris, where he trained for six years whilst making independent study trips to Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.
- 1861Aged 29, achieved his first Salon success with The Spanish Singer, which won an honourable mention and drew admiring attention from younger artists.
- 1863Aged 31, exhibited Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe at the Salon des Refusés; the picture of a nude woman picnicking with clothed men caused a public scandal and made him the figurehead of the avant-garde.
- 1865Aged 33, exhibited Olympia at the Salon, depicting a reclining nude who meets the viewer's gaze with cool indifference; hostile critical reception marked him as the most controversial painter in Paris.
- 1870Aged 38, served as a staff officer in the National Guard during the Franco-Prussian War and the subsequent siege of Paris; the experience shook him deeply.
- 1882Aged 50, completed A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, his final major canvas; awarded the Légion d'honneur the same year, recognition long withheld by the French establishment.
- 1883Died in Paris aged 51, following the amputation of a leg due to locomotor ataxia; mourned by Monet, Zola, and the Impressionist circle he had inspired but never formally joined.
Notable Works
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Where to See Édouard Manet
25 museums worldwide.
Related Artists
Frequently Asked Questions
Edouard manet art style?
Édouard Manet's art style involved broad applications of colour and stark, direct lighting that reduced the modelling of figures to the bare minimum. He based his figures on a composition by Raphael, evoking the pastoral atmosphere of Giorgione.Edouard manet painting style?
Édouard Manet's painting style involved broad applications of colour and stark, direct lighting, reducing the modelling of figures to the bare minimum. He took Courbet's realism further, blurring the boundary between objectivity and subjectivity.How did edouard manet die?
Édouard Manet died in 1883 at the age of 51.Is edouard manet an impressionist?
Although Mallarmé considered Édouard Manet a key figure in the Impressionist movement, and Silvestre mentioned him as the leader of a 'little school of the intransigents', he did not share the same artistic goals as the Impressionists. There was no Manet school.Is edouard manet a realist?
Édouard Manet took Courbet's realism one step further. He blurred the boundary between objectivity and subjectivity.Was edouard manet married?
Édouard Manet was married to Suzanne Leenhoff. She appears in his paintings, making it difficult to distinguish portraits from scenes of everyday life.What is edouard manet famous for?
Édouard Manet played an important part in the Impressionist movement, even though he did not show his work in any of their exhibitions. He was the leader of 'la bande a Manet', a group who met regularly in cafes to discuss painting. Younger artists were interested in his ideas and painting techniques, and their ideas influenced him.When did edouard manet live?
Édouard Manet lived from 1832 to 1883.Who was edouard manet?
Édouard Manet played an important part in the Impressionist movement, despite not showing his work in any of their exhibitions. He led 'la bande a Manet', a group that met regularly in cafes to discuss painting, influencing and being influenced by younger artists.Why was edouard manet controversial?
Édouard Manet is often called the Father of Modern Art. He wanted official recognition but was denied it.Is edouard manet impressionism?
Édouard Manet's art was one of the most important aesthetic factors contributing to the emergence of Impressionism. Painters like Monet, Bazille, Renoir, and Sisley considered him a master.What was edouard manet known for?
Édouard Manet played an important part in the Impressionist movement, even though he did not show his work in any of their exhibitions. He was the leader of 'la bande a Manet', a group who met regularly in cafes to discuss painting.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Édouard Manet.
- [1] book Linda Bolton, Art revolutions _ Impressionism Used for: biography.
- [2] book Linda Bolton, Art revolutions _ Impressionism_1 Used for: biography.
- [3] book Linda Bolton, Art revolutions _ Impressionism_2 Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-05-31. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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