Manet: Portraying Life

Hubby and I went to see 'Manet: Portraying Life' at The Royal Academy last Saturday. This exhibition is the first ever retrospective devoted to the portraiture of Edouard Manet. Consisting of more than 50 works, some of the paintings were not exhibited in Manet's lifetime. Many were unfinished, and I wonder if Manet would ever have meant them to be exhbited in that form. Some of the works resembled giant daubs with muddy colours and unfinshed apendages (one gentleman sitter was left with hands like pig trotters). However, there were a few paintings that really caught my eye, 'Woman Horserider' being one of them, but that may just be as I am always drawn to the colour blue. There is also lots of information on Manet's life including a huge map of Paris listing places he lived, worked, visited.

We attended on the opening day so the gallery was very busy and some of the paintings were hard to get a good look at. Worth a vist right now though, especially as the 'Mariko Mori: Rebirth' exhibition is still running. Tickets for Manet are £15 for adults, concessions available. The exhibition runs until Sunday 14th April 2013.


Edouard Manet, 'Woman Horserider', 1882.
Photo courtesy: www.guardian.co.uk