Berthe Morisot

Drawings, Pastels, Watercolours

Berthe Morisot was French painter and printmaker, member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists. She was described by Gustave Geffroy in 1894 as one of "les trois grandes dames" of Impressionism alongside Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt. Morisot painted what she experienced on a daily basis. Her paintings reflect the 19th-century cultural restrictions of her class and gender. She avoided urban and street scenes as well as the nude figure and, like her fellow female Impressionist Mary Cassatt, focused on domestic life and portraits in which she could use family and personal friends as models. Her works also include landscapes, portraits, garden settings and boating scenes. Morisot's works have been particularly popular in the United States, and many important works are in American collections.