Berthe Morisot (1841 – 1895) was a French painter linked to the Impressionist movement. She devoted herself in particular to paintings of women, children and family scenes.
First Impressionist Salon
Daughter of the prefect of Cher and great-grand-niece of the painter Jean Honoré Fragonard, Berthe Morisot was born on January 14, 1841 in Bourges. Her family moved to Paris in 1852 and, at the age of 16, Berthe began taking drawing and then painting lessons with her two sisters.
From 1861, Berthe and her sister Edma studied with the painter Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot. Berthe takes part in a few salons where she exhibits landscapes. In 1868, Berthe met the painter Edouard Manet, for whom she posed. She then left the official salons to join the independents (future Impressionists), including Renoir, Monet and Sisley. She participated with them in their first exhibition, in 1874, where 30 artists (including Berthe) exhibited 200 paintings. She will then participate in all the Impressionist exhibitions.
“Without profession”
In 1874, Berthe Morisot married Eugène Manet, Edouard's brother, with whom she had a daughter. Eugène died in 1892. The same year, Berthe held her first personal exhibition. She paints many women, children and family scenes.
In February 1895, Berthe fell ill and died of pneumonia on March 2, 1895, bequeathing most of her works to her artist friends Degas, Monet and Renoir. The guardianship of Julie, his daughter, is entrusted to his friend friend and poet Stéphane Mallarmé, as well as to Pierre-Auguste Renoir for his education as a painter. Despite its rich production and exhibitions, the death certificate mentions "without profession".
