Caillebotte. Painting men

One should never underestimate the effects of opportunity: if the Musée d’Orsay has dedicated itself to celebrating Gustave Caillebotte, it is not (just) for the 130th anniversary of his death, nor for the thirtieth anniversary of the 1994 retrospective that finally crystallised the new interest in the man who for too long in France was seen as "a talented artist, albeit an amateur one". Unfortunately, he was born wealthy, and his role as patron of his painter friends overshadowed his art for a long time, which we are still rediscovering despite the spectacular flowering of exhibitions over the last fifteen years: these include the spotlight given to the Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris (see article), then to the Propriété Caillebotte in Yerres, where the family lived (see article), quickly followed by the Musée des Impressionnismes in Giverny (see article) and more recently still at the Fondation Gianadda in Martigny (see article). So it’s hard to imagine - unless you’ve never been out of the Musée d’Orsay, where this is the first exhibition dedicated to the artist - how some commentators can see this as a striking event.

1. View of the exhibition "Caillebotte. Painting men" at the Musée d’Orsay
Photo: Allison Bellido

See the image in its page

How, however, could one fail to be impressed by this luxury tour featuring all of Caillebotte’s masterpieces, on loan from institutions American (ill. 1) as well as Swiss collections sometimes disguised as museums [1] or the artist’s heirs, who still hold a major part of his "stock"? The Musée d’Orsay, which is already salivating at the thought of announcing a new attendance record, has constantly encouraged its visitors to book their tickets online, but all the slots have been fully booked for the last few weeks, except for holders of special passes and the most motivated, who are prepared to wait patiently at the entrance. It has to be said, though, that we have rarely seen a more spectacular discrepancy between the sumptuousness of the display and the poverty of the accompanying discourse, even though most visitors admire the works without taking the time to read the labels. The texts proposed in the galleries can quickly arouse perplexity and even hilarity, but the essays in the catalogue are, alas, even more delightful.

2. Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894)
The Card Game, c. 1876
Pastel on paper - 45 x 58 cm
Private collection
Photo: Alexandre Lafore

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3. Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894)
Game of Bezique, c. 1881
Oil on canvas - 125.3 x 165.6 cm
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Photo: APF

See the image in its page

Visitors who are naturally eager to know more about the jewels they are contemplating will be in for a treat, as there are no notes on the works to enlighten them - a sad habit at Orsay, as the catalogue of the current Harriet Backer exhibition (see news item of 19/10/21) also demonstrates - although the preface confirms…