Exhibitions

EUGENE BOUDIN: FROM PLEIN AIR TO IMPRESSIONISM

October 17, 2009 through February 28, 2010

In its on-going relationship with the National Gallery of Art, the Academy Art Museum will present the groundbreaking work of this maritime artist.

Through six paintings, spanning five decades, this intimate show explores the evolution of one of the pioneering Impressionists. Boudin is primarily known for his maritime subjects, including most notably individuals at leisure along the shorelines of France’s beaches of Trouville, Honfleur and Etretat among others.

In 1856 or 1857, Boudin met the young Claude Monet who spent several months painting with Boudin in his studio. This encounter led to a life-long friendship. In 1874, Boudin and his younger contemporaries including Monet, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir organized the first 
Impressionist exhibition. While Boudin would break his affiliation with the Impressionists, his work’s rapid execution and scenes of everyday life would remain influential on the group.

This exhibition is drawn from the National Gallery of Art’s significant collection of Boudin paintings given primarily by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and his sister, Ailsa Mellon Bruce.

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