Edouard Manet, Café Concert, 1878-80. The National Gallery.
Music was a constant theme in Edouard Manet’s life and art. His wife Suzanne Leenhoff was a gifted pianist, and regular musical soirées were held at the Manet family home.
This talk by Dr Lois Oliver, curator of Paintings and Sculpture at the Royal Academy and lecturer at the Courtauld Institute, will explore his pictures of musicians and their audiences. These range from major early canvases depicting itinerant gypsy musicians and Spanish dancers, through to paintings encompassing the full range of Parisian musical culture, from private performances to street entertainment, café concerts and the Paris Opera. Manet also designed cover illustrations for music composed by his friends.
Bringing together images of Manet’s art and recordings of the music that inspired him (including Spanish flamenco, Wagner piano reductions, café songs, and opera highlights) this lecture is an immersion into Manet’s world.
Proceeds from our ticket sales benefit museums, galleries and other arts-based organisations and projects.
This is an online event hosted on Zoom which can be watched live, or on-demand for three weeks afterwards. You will receive your link to access the event in your email confirmation and the on-demand link after the event ends.