Tuesday 25th March 2025
Book your placeDAWN OF IMPRESSIONISM: PARIS 1874
DIRECTOR ALI RAY | PRODUCERS PHIL GRABSKY & AMANDA WILKIE | MUSIC STEPHEN BAYSTED | 90 minutes
The Impressionists are the most popular group in art history – millions flock every year to marvel at their masterpieces. But, to begin with, they were scorned, penniless outsiders. 1874 was the year that changed everything; the first Impressionists, “hungry for independence”, broke the mould by holding their own exhibition outside official channels. Impressionism was born and the art world was changed forever.
What led to that first groundbreaking show 150 years ago? Who were the maverick personalities that wielded their brushes in such a radical and provocative way? The spectacular Musée d’Orsay exhibition brings fresh eyes to this extraordinary tale of passion and rebellion. The story is told not only by historians and curators, but in the words of those who witnessed the dawn of Impressionism: the artists, press and people of Paris, 1874.
Made in close collaboration with the Musee d’Orsay and National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
“In 1874, a group of disillusioned Parisian artists “hungry for independence” broke the mould by holding their own exhibition outside official channels, an event that has since taken on legendary status as the pivotal moment in Western Art. At the time, they were ridiculed mercilessly by many critics for their new style, yet these outsiders went on to become the iconic founders of the world’s favourite art movement. 150 years later, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC are revisiting this groundbreaking event in a major exhibition.
For this film, our approach is a little different. As well as looking at the event with modern experts, curators and art historians, we are telling this story of passion and rebellion through the words of those who actually witnessed the dawn of Impressionism: the artists, writers and journalists of Paris, 1874. You will be transported to the world of the people who lived, worked and wondered about life in the pivotal years that led up to the opening of the doors of Nadar’s Studio on April 15th, 1874.
Having read the letters and diary entries of the artists who created the works and also the critic’s reviews after seeing them for the first time during the month-long exhibition, I feel closer to these incredible works and the people who created them. I also feel very differently about these works now compared to how I felt when I had only read modern day commentaries. I hope that this film opens your eyes anew to this unique moment in art history.”
Ali Ray, Director
