Luncheon on the Grass (1863) by Edouard ManetMusée d’Orsay, Paris
Edouard Manet, Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, 1862-3
The unusual picnic in Edouard Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe was controversial when it was first exhibited, but today it's considered a masterpiece of 19th century art. Over the years, this iconic scene has been copied, parodied, and homaged.
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Dejeuner sur l'herbe is in the collection of the Musée d'Orsay. This former fin-de-siecle train station was turned into an art gallery in 1986, and specialises in French paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography dating from 1848-1914.
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They're nice paintings, but they're not what we're looking for. Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe is quite a big painting, so it shouldn't be hard to spot!
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Ah, there it is! Let's take a moment to stop and relax…
Luncheon on the Grass (1863) by Edouard ManetMusée d’Orsay, Paris
Today it hangs pride of place, but the painting was actually rejected from the 1863 Paris Salon exhibition, the most prestigious in the world. Instead, it was shown nearby in the Salon des Refusés, the 'exhibition of rejects' alongside other now-famous works.
Many critics at the time couldn't understand why Manet would paint a nude woman next to clothed men or, at least, they didn't like the implications of doing so. The woman, whoever she is, seems uninterested in whatever's going on and would rather watch us…
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Thanks for joining us on today's scavenger hunt. There's many more to enjoy, but for the moment, why not take a walk around the rest of the Musée d'Orsay, there's much more to discover!
