The Geelong Gallery in Australia is hosting a landmark exhibition, Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel, art dealer among artists, featuring over 70 paintings that once passed through the hands of the visionary 19th-century French art dealer.
Key Details
"Without Durand, we would have died of hunger, all of us impressionists. We owe him everything." — Claude Monet
- Durand-Ruel was the original champion of the Impressionist movement, backing the artists when their work was met with mockery and scorn in Paris.
- In March 1886, he shipped over 300 paintings to New York—including works by Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir—in a bold bid to find new collectors abroad.
- The exhibition includes masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, Berthe Morisot, and Camille Pissarro, as well as lesser-known but vital artists such as Albert André, Georges d'Espagnat, Gustave Loiseau, Maxime Maufra, and Henry Moret.
- Almost all paintings are on loan from private collections, primarily from Europe.
- This is the most ambitious exhibition in the gallery's 130-year history.
Background
Durand-Ruel risked everything for his belief in the Impressionists. He nearly bankrupted himself twice by buying paintings when no one else would. He also lent Monet the money to purchase his beloved property in Giverny.
Statements
Co-curator Claire Durand-Ruel, the dealer's great-great-granddaughter, explained that Durand-Ruel's policy was to send works as far as possible to reach new audiences.
Co-curator Marianne Mathieu stated that the exhibition aims to give neglected second-wave Impressionists the recognition they deserve.
Both curators expressed their hope that visitors will experience beauty and joy from the paintings.