In 1976, the Brooklyn Museum introduced the American public to the works of Gustave Caillebotte, one of the lesser known Impressionists at that time. A description of this exhibit from the guidebook reads » In addition to the well-known Parisian cityscapes that have traditionally marked him as the ‘Urban Impressionist’, Caillebotte painted scenes of outdoor life away from the city on the coast of Normandy and in the villages of Yerres and Petit Gennevilliers, where he and his family maintained estates. As a passionate rower and yachtsman, Caillebotte approached his motifs with the trained eyes and hand of an accomplished engineer and sportsman”.
I was first introduced to Caillebotte’s works by the curator of the Art Institute of Chicago, Richard Brettell, in his lecture series From Monet to Van Gogh : A History of Impressionism .In 1964, the AIT (Worcester Collection) acquired Caillebotte’s Paris Street; Rainy Day (Rue de Paris; temps de pluie) (1877). This is perhaps his most famous work to date and represents the modernization of Paris which was created by the architect Baron Haussmann from 1853-1870 under the supervision of Napoleon III. After seeing Paris Street at the AIT, Caillebotte quickly became one of my favorite Impressionists.
While living in Paris last year, I often visited this neighborhood on rue de Turin and rue de Moscow which Caillebotte depicted in Paris Street. The buildings have changed very little over the past 137 years and this scene still reflects the characteristics of the Second Empire; the main changes have been in the streets and signage. The pharmacy that you see in the background (the blue cross) is still in business today. Teeming with life, the great crossroads portrayed by Caillebotte evoke the comings and goings of anonymous flaneurs of the great metropolis, but also the unusual inhabitants of a neighborhood that housed artists such as Manet and Monet, who was working just a few steps away on the rue Moncey and in 1878 took up residence at the street of Edinburgh, near the rue de Rome. Caillebotte also created a strong impression of authenticity by accentuating the anonymous silhouettes under their umbrellas, crossing the wet cobblestone pavement. The gaslight which Caillebotte planted in the center of the composition, upset many critics as these were not installed until after 1878.
Even though Caillebotte’s works were included in five of the eight Impressionist exhibits, there are few paintings available for the public, as most are in private collections.
I have had the great fortune to see 57 Caillebotte’s so far: nine in his native home of France (Beaux Arts, Rouen ; Louvre, and Musée d’Orsay, Paris, Musee Marmottan, Paris) and 46 paintings in the United States (AIC, Indiana, Kimbell, Dallas MoA); largely in part to the most recent exhibition at the Kimbell Musem, “Gustave Caillebotte: The Painter’s Eye”, in which the New York Times reviews as “Paris is REBORN”.
The following is a chronological list of Caillebotte’s paintings from 1872 to 1894 as well as the current museums and collectors who own them. The denotation ** represents the paintings I have seen exhibited.
1872 Un route a Naples, Intérieur d’atelier avec poêle (Private)
1874 Intérieur d’atelier avec poêle (Private)
1875 Homme nu tète vu de dos a la fenêtre (2e exh) (Private)
Les Raboteurs de Parquet (2e exh) (Musée d’Orsay)
** L’Yerres effet de pluie (Indiana)
** Prarie in Yerres (Private)
Le Billard (Private)
Railway bridge at Argenteuil (Brooklyn)
The Park of Caillebotte ; Property at Yerres (Private)
1876
Portrait a la campagne (3e exh) (Musée Baron Géraud, Bayeux)
** Jeune Homme au piano (2eexh) (Private)
** Le Pont de l’Europe, variant (Kimbell, Ft Worth)
** Le Pont de l’Europe (3e exh) (Musée Petit Palais, Geneva)
Study for Le Pont de l’Europe (2e exh) (Albright-Knox Gallery, Buffalo, NY)
** Le déjeuner (2e exh) (Private)
Floor Scrapers (Variant) (Private)
Les Jardiniers (Private)
Le jardin potager ; Yerres (Private)
1877
**Rue de Paris ; temps de pluie (3e exh) (Art Institute of Chicago)
AIC Chicago
**Rue de Paris ; temps de pluie Etude (Musée Marmottan, Paris)
Study of Paving Stones (Private)
Study of Couple Seen from the Front under an Umbrella (Private)
Perspective Study of Streets for Rue de Paris (Private)
Madame Caillebotte, Mother (3e exh)
1877 **Les peintures en bâtiment (3e exh) (Private)
La siesta
** Les canotiers (4e exh) (Private)
Etude pour Rue de Paris ; temps de Pluie ; les pavées (AIC)
Monsieur Cassebois
**Monsieur R. (Private)
Canotier en chapeau haut de forme (Private)
Baigneur s’apprêtant à Plonger (4e exh)
** Périssoires (Milwaukee Art Museum, WI)
La Caserne de la Pépinière (Private)
** Boating on the Yerres (Milwaukee Art Museum)
1878
Pêche a la ligne (Private)
Place Saint-Augustin ; temps lumineux (Private)
Caserne de la Pépinière
**Portrait du Richard Gallo (Hermitage, Lausanne)
** La Rue Halévy vue du sixième étage (4e exh) (Private)
** La Rue Halevy vue du sixieme etage (Washington)
** Toits sous la neige (Musée d’Orsay)
Peinture sous sur parasol (Private)
La Caserne de la Pépinière (Private)
Boulevard Haussmann, effet de neige
**Boulevard seen from Above (Private)
Prés de l’opéra (Private)
** Portrait de Paul Hugot (4e exh) (Private)
Portrait de Mme B. (4e exh ) (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston)
1878 Pêche a la ligne sur L’Yerres
Baigneurs (4e exh) (Private)
Périssoires (4e exh)
Avenue Parc Monceau (Private)
Deux Pêcheurs
Peinture de Madame X (Musée Fabre, Montpillier)
**Portrait du eugene Daufresme (Private)
1879
** Portrait de l’artiste au chevalet (Private)
Portrait de Jules Richemont (Private)
**Portrait de Georges Roman (Galerie Michael Haas, Berlin)
Nature Morte (5e exh)(Private)
Vue prise a travers un balcon (5e exh) (Private)
Tête d’enfant (5e exh) (Private)
Canotier en chapeau haut de forme (4e exh) (Private)
Canotier ramenant sa périssoire (4e exh) (Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Va)
Périssoires (4e exh) (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rennes)
Vallée de Yerres (4e exh) (Private)
Intérieur, Femme Assisse (Private)
Intérieur, Femme a La Fenêtre (Private)
Baigneurs, Pastel (4e exh) (Musée d’Agen)
L’opéra vu du Blvd Haussmann
Vue de toits, effet de neige (4e exh) (Musée d’Orsay)
Fragment de Balcon
Un Balcon, Blvd Haussmann (Private)
Homme au Balcon (7e exh) (Private)
Un Refuge Blvd Haussmann
Chemin montant (7e exh) (Private)
Pêcheur (7e exh) (Private)
Villiers sur mer (7e exh) (Private)
Route d’Honfleur a tramble (7e exh) (Private)
Bois prés de la mer (7e exh) (Private)
Pommiers (7e exh) (Private)
Chemin vert (7e exh) (Private)
1880
La Partie de bésigues (7e exh) (Private)
** Langouste a la Parisienne (Private, Europe)
** Dans un café (5e exh) (Musée des Beaux Arts, Rouen)
** Portrait d’Homme (Cleveland MoA)
** Homme au balcon (Private)
Un balcon, Boulevard Haussmann (Private)
Vue prise ; Le balcon (5e exh) (Van gogh Musée, Amsterdam)
Boulevard Haussmann ; effet de neige (Private)
Boulevard des Italiens (Private)
Nature morte, melon et compotier de fruits (Private)
Nature morte aux huitres (Josefowitz Collection)
Nature morte au plat de langouste (Josefowitz Collection)
Nature morte, étalage des fruits
Marines, régates a Villiers
Boulevard vu d’en Haut ; dans un café (5e exh) (Private)
Vue de Villiers (7e exh) (Private)
Falaise a Villers-sur-Mer (Private)
** Un Refuge boulevard Haussmann (Private)
** Intérieur ; femme lisant (Private)
** Le femme au fenetre (Private)
Portrait de l’artiste au chevalet (Private)
** Nude on a Couch (Minneapolis IoA)
1881
Chemin avec un personnage
Chemin montant (Private)
Pommiers en Fleurs
Bécasses
Canards sauvages
Deux Perdrix Grises sur une Nappe
Melon et compotier de fruits sur une table
Lièvre
Vase de Gélules
Potager
** Pastry Cakes (Bruce Toll)
** Portrait du Richard Gallo (Nelson MoA, Kansas City)
** Partie de bésigue (Louvre Abu Dhabi)
** La Leçon de piano (Musée Marmottan, Paris)
1882
** Yellow Roses in a Vase (Dallas Museum of Art)
**Cut of Beef (Private)
** Femme nue sur un divan
** Sailboats at Argenteuil (Musée d’Orsay)
** Chickens, Game Birds and Hares (Private)
** Calf in a Butcher Shop (Private)
** Hare and Thrushes (Private)
** Two Ducks Hanging (Private)
** Game Bird and Lemons (MFA, Springfield, MA)
** Still Life with Lobster (Marlene and Spencer Hays)
** Fruits (7e exh) (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
Museum Fine Arts Boston
**Poulets et gibier a l’étalager (Private)
Veau a létal (Private)
1883 Yacht
** Les Promenade d’Argenteuil Private)
**Portrait d’Henri Cordier (Musée d’Orsay, Paris)
1884
Paysage Bord de Mer
** Champ Jaune et rose (Private)
Homme en blouse a Étretat, rue Saint-Clair (Private)
Père Magloire on the road St Clair to Etretat (Musée Petit Palais, Geneva)
Villas a Trouville (Montgomery Gallery)
Portrait de M. Richard Gallo a Petit Gennevilliers (National Gallery, London)
**Man at his Bath (MFA, Boston)
** Richard Gallo and His Dog (Private)
** The Fields, A Plain in Gennevilliers (Denver Art Museum)
1885
Le pont d’Argenteuil et la seine (Private)
Portrait d’Henri Cordier
Portrait de Jules Dubois (Josefowitz Collection)
** Sunflowers, Garden at Petit Gennevilliers (Private)
1886
** Le Jardin a Petit Gennevilliers- les roses
1887 Bord de Rivière
1888
La Petit Bras de la Seine a Argenteuil Périples
Maison de Gennevilliers des soleils
Voiliers a Argenteuil (Musée d’Orsay)
** Linen Out to Dry ( Private)
1889
Le Seine a Argenteuil
** Self-Portrait (Private)
1890
Bord de Rivière
Le Ponton d’Argenteuil
Le Petit Gennevilliers l’embarcadère
Le Jardin de Caillebotte au Petit Gennevilliers Le Bateau
1892
Bateau devant un appointement
** Self Portrait (Musée d’Orsay)
Nasturtiums (Private)
Rive de la Seine
** La seine a Argenteuil ; autoportrait (Louvre)
Capucines (Josefowitz Collection)
Laundry drying along the Seine, Petit-Gennevilliers (Wallraf-Richartz, Cologne)
1893
Bateau a voile blanche
** Régates a Argenteuil (Private)
** Les Dahlias, Jardin de Gennevilliers
Paysage avec maison
Orchidées (Private)
Bouquet de Chrysanthèmes (Josefowitz Collection)
** Massifs des chrysanthèmes (Musée Marmottan, Paris)
1894 Le Jardin du Petit Gennevilliers en hiver (Private)
Copyright 2016 by Robyn Lowrie. May be quoted in part or full only with attribution to Robyn Lowrie (www.frenchquest.com)
Further Reading:
Gare Saint-Lazare and Caillebotte:
My French Quest 