This extraordinary gathering of paintings reveals the story of Monet, Renoir, Degas, Manet, Pissarro, and their visionary art dealer and champion, Paul Durand-Ruel. The artists now known as the Impressionists once struggled to introduce their new style of painting to critics and the public. With Durand-Ruel, they forged an identity and moved from the margins to international fame.

Recaptured in this exhibition are the often forgotten setbacks and breakthrough triumphs of Impressionism. Monet’s visions of graceful poplar trees, Renoir’s joyous dance paintings, and Pissarro’s luminous cityscapes showcase the talent recognized by Durand-Ruel.

Durand-Ruel secured Impressionism’s place in history through tireless promotion across Europe and the United States—enthusiastic Americans ensured its success.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the only US venue for this landmark exhibition.

Exhibition Minutes

The Visionary Art Dealer Paul Durand-Ruel

Paul Durand-Ruel (1831–1922) inherited a successful picture gallery from his parents in 1865. He initially continued the shop’s traditional activities such as framing and conservation, renting pictures to amateur artists for copying, and buying and selling art. He soon began to assert his own taste, shifting the gallery’s focus toward more innovative artists, including Eugène Delacroix, Jean-François Millet, and Gustave Courbet. Sales of their work built the firm’s reputation and financed the dealer’s increasingly adventurous and risky enterprises.

In the early 1870s, Durand-Ruel discovered a group of young, untested artists—later known as the Impressionists—and began to promote their work with absolute conviction. Over several decades, Durand-Ruel worked tirelessly to build an audience for their innovative style of painting and to create a modern art market. His strategies included acquiring in depth the work of the artists he favored, gaining exclusivity by offering stipends in return for first rights to artists’ most recent work, hosting single-artist exhibitions, and establishing branches in London, Brussels, and New York, which drew him into contact with influential collectors around the world.