Paul Durand-Ruel in his gallery, c1910
erinhanson.com
In the Franco-Prussian War 1870, Durand-Ruel packed his stock and left Paris for London. An artist there advised him to check out the work of two chaps named Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro. She said: this artist, Claude Monet, will surpass us all. Pissarro heard about the Monets Durand-Ruel bought, and not wanting to miss out, Pissarro left his paintings at the gallery. Durand-Ruel wrote to him saying “I am so sorry I missed you. I am delighted with the paintings you left. Could you name a price and bring me others?”
In late 1871 Durand-Ruel returned to Paris to meet Degas & Auguste Renoir, and started buying ALL the works in their studios. Buying so much so early was unusual. Other dealers would buy 10 works, wait for them to sell and then came back to buy more. But although it allowed him to corner the market, it was a risky gamble to invest his resources in an unloved art movement. It actually took 10-20 years to sell some of the paintings. There was no ready audience eg for Monet’s misty London’s Green Park, Manet’s battle between ships in America’s Civil War and Degas’ pale ballerinas.
Before he met Durand-Ruel, Monet had been so poor he tried to drown himself in the Seine. Monet and his painter friends had slaved away in poverty for years. Their abstractions of colour & light had met only ridicule from Paris’ experts. Durand-Ruel bought Renoir’s Boating Party Luncheon in 1882 and Monet’s Stacks of Wheat in 1891, 100+ works in Musee d’Orsay Paris’ collection and 100 paintings in Dr Albert Barnes’ Foundation Phil. Durand-Ruel bought c200 Manets, 1,000+ Monets, 1,500 Renoirs, 800 Pissarros, 400 Alfred Sisleys, 400 Mary Cassatts: c5,000 Impressionist works!
In 1876 he filled 3 rooms of his Le Peletier Gallery for a 2nd Impressionist show, but French critics were vicious. Durand-Ruel stayed loyal to his artists, giving them one-man shows and supporting them when they needed stipends & loans. When Monet bought his Giverny property, he bought it with advance monies from art he would present at Durand-Ruel’s gallery. Sadly Durand-Ruel did go broke and artists were anxious about their careers. Monet, painting on the Norman coast, wanted to destroy his canvases so Durand-Ruel wrote: Please don’t do that! I’ll send you money. Just send me the canvases in return.
In 1862 art student Renoir met Jean Frédéric Bazille, Monet and Sisley at Charles Gleyre's Paris studio, then met Edgar Degas, Pissarro, Paul Cezanne and Edouard Manet via these contacts. These men socialised in coffee shops and slowly created a theory base for their Impressionist style. Renoir also met Paul Durand-Ruel, in this time. At this happy meeting, Durant-Ruel agreed to be Renoir's agent and Renoir remained the favourite artist.
In late 1871 Durand-Ruel returned to Paris to meet Degas & Auguste Renoir, and started buying ALL the works in their studios. Buying so much so early was unusual. Other dealers would buy 10 works, wait for them to sell and then came back to buy more. But although it allowed him to corner the market, it was a risky gamble to invest his resources in an unloved art movement. It actually took 10-20 years to sell some of the paintings. There was no ready audience eg for Monet’s misty London’s Green Park, Manet’s battle between ships in America’s Civil War and Degas’ pale ballerinas.
Before he met Durand-Ruel, Monet had been so poor he tried to drown himself in the Seine. Monet and his painter friends had slaved away in poverty for years. Their abstractions of colour & light had met only ridicule from Paris’ experts. Durand-Ruel bought Renoir’s Boating Party Luncheon in 1882 and Monet’s Stacks of Wheat in 1891, 100+ works in Musee d’Orsay Paris’ collection and 100 paintings in Dr Albert Barnes’ Foundation Phil. Durand-Ruel bought c200 Manets, 1,000+ Monets, 1,500 Renoirs, 800 Pissarros, 400 Alfred Sisleys, 400 Mary Cassatts: c5,000 Impressionist works!
In 1876 he filled 3 rooms of his Le Peletier Gallery for a 2nd Impressionist show, but French critics were vicious. Durand-Ruel stayed loyal to his artists, giving them one-man shows and supporting them when they needed stipends & loans. When Monet bought his Giverny property, he bought it with advance monies from art he would present at Durand-Ruel’s gallery. Sadly Durand-Ruel did go broke and artists were anxious about their careers. Monet, painting on the Norman coast, wanted to destroy his canvases so Durand-Ruel wrote: Please don’t do that! I’ll send you money. Just send me the canvases in return.
In 1862 art student Renoir met Jean Frédéric Bazille, Monet and Sisley at Charles Gleyre's Paris studio, then met Edgar Degas, Pissarro, Paul Cezanne and Edouard Manet via these contacts. These men socialised in coffee shops and slowly created a theory base for their Impressionist style. Renoir also met Paul Durand-Ruel, in this time. At this happy meeting, Durant-Ruel agreed to be Renoir's agent and Renoir remained the favourite artist.
Monet, Haystacks Midday 1890
Geelong Gallery
Pissarro wrote the group's written manifesto and was the only artist to participate in all 8 Impressionist shows. At the 1st exhibition in 1874, there were 30 artists. Pissarro showed 5 of his paintings, out of the 135 on display. Even when Pissarro's work was finally beginning to attract buyers, a dealer’s support was always critical. His paintings were some of the first Impressionist works purchased by Durand-Ruel.
By 1876, Salon jurors clearly disliked Impressionist art and would not accommodate their paintings. So the young artists decided to get back together and rethink their plan. Monet, Renoir, Degas, Berthe Morisot, Sisley and Pissarro remained at the core. And then Jean-Baptiste Millet, (Jean-François Millet's brother, joined in. Gustave Caillebotte, who started out as a collector, ended up half funding the project. They opened in Ap 1876 and took 3 rooms in the Durand-Ruel Gallery on rue le Peletier, off of the Blvd Haussman. The number of paintings on display rose to 252, but the number of artists declined to 19. The critics were rude. Again!
By the 3rd exhibition, cashed-up artist Caillebotte fully funded & organised the project, so planning began in his Rue Miromesnil home. Pissarro, Monet, Renoir, Sisley and Degas were as usual the steering committee. Manet may have been in attendance too. But it was Caillebotte who risked not making a profit until money from exhibition sales arrived. They rented a spacious apartment at 6 rue Le Peletier, not far from the 2nd exhibition at Durand-Ruel Gallery, a year after the 1876 exhibition: Ap 1877. The number of works remained the same but only 18 artists participated.
But what a risk-taker he was. For 20 years 1871-90, Durand-Ruel spent hundreds of thousands of francs on pictures by the unknown and unloved Impressionists. Even after he spent millions on 12,000 paintings, incl 1,000 Monets, 1,500 Renoirs, 800 Pissarros, 400 each by Degas & Sisley, 200 Manets & 400 Cassatts. Durand-Ruel made and lost fortunes!
The other Impressionists were not pleased when Renoir went to the Dark Side i.e the Official Salon, but they were thrilled when Renoir returned to the Impressionist Exhibitions in the 1880s. He submitted 25 of his paintings to the 7th Impressionist exhibition in 1882 in the Durand-Ruel gallery. The next year, Durand-Ruel gave Renoir his first major one-man show, showing 70 works! Once Durand-Ruel bought Renoir’s The Umbrellas and sold it to a collector, Renoir started to enjoy the patronage of wealthy collectors and dealers.
But what a risk-taker he was. For 20 years 1871-90, Durand-Ruel spent hundreds of thousands of francs on pictures by the unknown and unloved Impressionists. Even after he spent millions on 12,000 paintings, incl 1,000 Monets, 1,500 Renoirs, 800 Pissarros, 400 each by Degas & Sisley, 200 Manets & 400 Cassatts. Durand-Ruel made and lost fortunes!
The other Impressionists were not pleased when Renoir went to the Dark Side i.e the Official Salon, but they were thrilled when Renoir returned to the Impressionist Exhibitions in the 1880s. He submitted 25 of his paintings to the 7th Impressionist exhibition in 1882 in the Durand-Ruel gallery. The next year, Durand-Ruel gave Renoir his first major one-man show, showing 70 works! Once Durand-Ruel bought Renoir’s The Umbrellas and sold it to a collector, Renoir started to enjoy the patronage of wealthy collectors and dealers.
There were other progressive, risk-taking art agents working in Paris in late C19th-early 20th. Amboise Vollard (1867-1939) was a fine art-dealer in the late C19th and when he exhibited the Impressionists’ art, he raised the reputation of individual artists and Impressionism in general. Berthe Weill (1865–1951) and Paul Guillaume (1891-1934) were other key French art-dealers. But the rest of the Paris-based dealers seemed to be German-raised and educated: Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler (1884-1979), who dealt mainly in Post-Impressionism; Leonce(1879-1947) and brother Paul Rosenberg (1881-1959); Gaston and Jos Bernhein-Jeune’s father was a German art-dealer; and art-dealer/publisher Paul Cassirer who opened his Berlin art gallery in 1898 to specialise in French impressionist art.
Geelong Gallery
Georges d’Espagnat, Autumn afternoon,1899
Geelong Gallery catalogue
UK’s first major show honouring Durand-Ruel was in National Gallery London 2015. Inventing Impressionism included c85 works, among them some of Impressionism’s greatest master-pieces which had never seen in the UK. Most of the works had been dealt by Durand-Ruel, borrowed from the key European and American collections he helped form.
Geelong is the second biggest city in Victoria. In its 130th year, Geelong Gallery and Art Exhibitions Australia, are proud to present Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel art-dealer among the artists, the most ambitious international exhibition in Geelong’s history. The exhibition, 20 June-11 Oct 2026, flows over 5 galleries, presenting 70+ works from 2 generations of Impressionist artists, most from private collections in France and never before seen in Australia, re Durand-Ruel’s remarkable legacy.
Albert André, Montmartre, view of Boulevard de Clichy, 1921
Geelong Gallery
Throughout the Gallery, works by Monet, Renoir, Morisot and Pissarro hang in direct dialogue with a second generation of painters long overshadowed by their famous predecessors: Albert Andre, Georges d’Espagnat, Gustave Loiseau, Maxime Maufra and Henry Moret. Supported by Durand-Ruel in Impressionism’s late years, these artists are now being rediscovered, and Geelong Gallery is offering visitors time to appreciate their work. Never before touring outside Europe-UK, Discovering the Impressionists is the first of its kind to trace their story via the art-dealer who made it possible.
I missed the French Impressionism Exhibition developed by Museum of Fine Arts Boston and National Gallery of Victoria. The exhibition charted the path of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in late 19th-century France, highlighting the renowned avant-garde artists in this period of radical experimentation who boldly rejected the artistic conventions of their time. I wonder if the Geelong Exhibition will be as good.
ReplyDeleteHi cous. :)
DeleteFrench Impressionism Exhibition at the NGV was not about honouring and understanding the legacy of Paul Durand-Ruel. So although the French Impressionist artists will largely be the same people in both exhibitions, the Geelong Exhibition will focus on other art that Durand-Ruel influenced as well. And you will love the Geelong Gallery.
Australia is so lucky to have such an Exhibition. Interesting history you have written Hels. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMargaret
DeleteI would have loved to have seen UK’s first major show honouring Durand-Ruel; it was in the National Gallery London (2015), a gallery I know well. But I am delighted now that "Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel art-dealer among the artists" is coming to Australia.
Do you ever travel around Victoria on business or pleasure? It takes just over an hour to drive or go by train to Geelong
That will be a wonderful exhibition.
ReplyDeletejabblog
DeleteCome to Melbourne and allow one day to look around Victoria's second biggest city, Geelong. The Exhibition will take you 1.5 hours to walk around, then see the excellent tourist sites in that city.
I will show you around Melbourne's coffee culture, on a less busy day :)
Hello Hels, The biographies or autobiographies of art dealers are fascinating, and the stories they have to tell are things we can dream about. I wonder how much Durand-Ruel was charging for his paintings, compared to the old-school paintings at the other dealers. That makes an interesting question for today, when people might not know to what financial extent an unknown artist is worth investing in, or to put it another way, how much it costs to be a patron of the arts.
ReplyDeleteDurand-Ruel's stock of 12,000 Impressionist paintings hints at how year after year, the auction galleries are able to introduce another 'lost' Impressionist masterpiece.
--Jim
Parnassus
Deletethe biographies of art dealers are not nearly as frequently published as are artists biographies. Famous artists are known better and their works are more easily recognised, especially if they were French, Italian and British. Who would have even known of Colnaghi or David Messum.
But there is another question from the NPR: "Was he a visionary, an art lover, or a canny businessman?" For a group of Impressionist artists largely disliked by critics, museum experts, auctioneers and exhibition organisers, Durand-Ruel certainly loved his artists and their works, so I am happy to accept that he was a very committed art lover and a faithful mentor.
But a business man can do well or not well, not necessarily of his own making. When Durand-Ruel went totally broke, he was devastated, but it wasn't a shock to the rest of the art experts in France.
That's transition from classic art to impressionism and then onto all the other modern types of art seems to have been tough to get started, but once it did, it sure took over, didn't it? I'd love to have seen the collections Durant-Ruel has in his stock if I could time travel back. I bet it was something to see.
ReplyDeleteErika
DeleteI understand totally that not all people involved in art can move happily from one art style to another. So I enjoyed Art Deco (1920s- 30s) but not necessarily Streamline Moderne (late 1930s–1940s). Yet 100+ years later, when we feel that Impressionism was modern and influential, it is difficult to imagine the rude response to Impressionism heard in the galleries and newspapers.
It would have been wonderful if Durand-Ruel had documented his entire stock over the decades!
The Discovering the Impressionists exhibition at Geelong Gallery illuminates the remarkable legacy of visionary art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, whose financial daring helped shape the fortunes of both the celebrated Impressionists and a lesser-known second generation of artists
ReplyDeleteroentare
DeleteThank you Geelong Gallery!
Good taste in art isn't enough, is it? I would not have risked my family's money over the decades, but then I would never have been as influential as Durand-Ruel. He was indeed a daring businessman, plus he had some good luck. I hope the Impressionist artists and their supporters understood how their careers largely depended on "their" dealer's efforts and financial support.
Durand-Ruel was certainly key to the Impressionist movement, and people love these paintings to this day. I would love to see the Geelong exhibition but we are going to be flying overseas during this period. Enjoy it for me!
ReplyDeletePatricia
DeleteTravel well :)
After you return, perhaps see "Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition" which traces a ground-breaking era in art history through iconic works in Art Gall Sth Australia
What an incredible story. It's easy to admire Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro today, but it's fascinating to remember that there was a time when almost nobody wanted their paintings. Without Paul Durand-Ruel taking enormous financial risks and believing in these artists when others laughed at them, the history of art might have looked very different.
ReplyDeleteWhat impresses me most is that he didn't just buy a few paintings—he committed himself completely, often at great personal cost. Supporting thousands of works over decades before the public finally caught up required an extraordinary combination of vision, patience, and courage.
The upcoming Geelong exhibition sounds like a fantastic opportunity, especially because it highlights the second generation of Impressionist artists who are often overshadowed by the bigger names. Discovering artists like Albert André, Georges d'Espagnat, Gustave Loiseau, Maxime Maufra, and Henri Moret adds a fresh perspective to a movement many people think they already know.
Speaking of discovering hidden gems, I recently came across https://aldeiadecamelo.com/ and enjoyed exploring it—it reminded me that sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones waiting just outside the spotlight.
Durand-Ruel truly proves that behind every great artistic movement, there is often someone willing to believe in it long before the rest of the world does.
Anon
DeleteSpot on! Not only do I want to see the second generation of French Impressionist artists like Albert André, Georges d'Espagnat and Gustave Loiseau.
But the Australian Impressionists will also be in the galleries, showing how keen the Australian artists were to be influenced by the French masters. Australian plein air painters of the late C19th played a key role in the development of light, atmosphere and seasonal shifts in nature in Australian art.
I have read this a couple of times and still don't know what to say.
ReplyDeleteRiver
DeleteIt is unbelievable that French art-dealers continued attacking their colleague, even if that meant their profits would NOT have gone to Durand-Ruel, their competitor. In an era of new cultural movements, every moment of vulgarity was deadly :(
It was even more cruel that French couldn't support French Impressionist artists, watching them starve towards death or suicide
Wonderful article! The examples and insights you provided make it easy to understand the importance of architecture in modern society. I appreciate the effort you put into creating such quality content. Madhur Satta
ReplyDeleteDpboss
DeleteThank you for reading about Impressionist art dealing and painting. But where was the architecture you referred to?