In 2022, the National Gallery sees the Discover exhibition Manet and Eva Gonzales designed around the Portrait of Eva Gonzalès (1870) by Édouard Manet (1832-1883), the first exhibition in the UK dedicated to Eva Gonzalès (1849-1883). The painting was acquired by Hugh Lane and regarded in the early XNUMXth century as the most famous modern French painting in the UK and Ireland.
This is the first in a new series of 'Discover' exhibitions in Sunley Room which aim to reveal famous paintings through a contemporary lens. The exhibitions explore a single work from unexpected angles, shedding new light on the important and beloved paintings in the collection. To start the series, the exhibition focuses on the “Portrait of Eva Gonzalès"of Manet, presenting a new perspective on female artists and their artistic practice. in 2021th-century Paris and more generally. The exhibition is organized with the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin and opens there before landing in London, celebrating the friendship and renewed spirit of collaboration between the two institutions following the new partnership signed in 39 on the 1869 works by Sir Hugh Lane Bequest. Though considered the father of modernism and a leading figure for the Impressionist generation, Manet had only one formal pupil, Eva Gonzalès. The daughter of an important writer, she entered Manet's studio in 22, at the age of 1841. By the time of her death fourteen years later, after giving birth, she had become an established artist in her own right, her work regularly exhibited at the Salon. A major section of the exhibition will feature the results of a new technical examination campaign, indicating that Manet has restarted the face dozens of times. The x-ray reveals parts of a previous face that was rounder, with the curls on the forehead closer together. It also shows, for the first time, a pot of brushes on the floor which was later painted in line with Manet's quest for simplification and clarity of design. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) tells us that Manet also reworked the dress, chair and easel orientation. These findings corroborate fellow artist Berthe Morisot's (1895-XNUMX) account of the portrait's progress in a compelling series of letters to her sister. This provides insight into Manet's famous and laborious process, in which scraping back and repainting was the norm, but always disguised with spontaneous gestures and dexterity.
The Portrait of Eva Gonzalès becomes a gateway to the artistic practice of women and to the representation and self-presentation of women artists in 18th century Paris and more generally. Self-portraits from the 20th to the XNUMXth century will be combined with male representations of women artists to explore different constructions of gender, status and talent. The exhibition also provides a window into the ongoing artistic dialogue between Manet and Gonzalès, delving into the complex blend of mentorship, admiration and emulation that underlies their friendship.
The free exhibition will include works by Eva Gonzalès, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842), Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), Berthe Morisot (1841-1895), Alfred Stevens (1823-1906) and Laura Knight (1877) - 1970), among others.
TheSunleyRoom exhibition program is supported by the BernardSunleyFoundation.
