Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergere goes to the Getty

Edouard Manet: “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère”

The Jean Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, California -arguably the wealthiest museum in the World- will organize next summer the exhibition ” Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergère and Defining Modernity: European Drawings 1800- 1900″ to celebrate the loan from the Courtauld Institute Galleries in London of one of Edouard Manet’s masterpieces, the famous “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère”

The painting is one of the most important works by the French master, and its strange and stunning composition will be the focus of the exhibition. The Getty’s press note explains that ” the installation of a mirror opposite the painting, the dominant motif of which is itself a mirror, will set up a play of reflections encouraging visitors to reflect on the optical conundrums Manet’s painting poses”. “As an emblematic image of a working woman in modern Paris – the Getty’s press note also quotes- A Bar at the Folies-Bergère provides a fascinating comparison to Edgar Degas’ “The Milliners”, recently acquired by the Getty Museum “

The Museum also notes that the painting has not been exhibited in the United States since 1983. In addition to this work, the exhibition at the Getty will also features 46 drawings by Manet, Degas, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat