The Art of Gustave Caillebotte

Paris Street, A Rainy Day 1877

Gustave Calliebotte  was a wealthy Frenchman whose personal art work has been ignored and largely forgotten until recently. An engineer by profession, he was fascinated with the Impressionist movement. He even organized and financed the Impressionist Exhibit in Paris in 1874, which included the works of Degas, Renoir, and Monet.

He was also one of the foremost racing yachtsman of his time. He designed and built his own boat line in attempt to improve performance with innovations like aerodynamic hulls and external ballasts.

He was largely dismissed as a serious artist because of his wealth, as his family made their fortune in the rebuilding of Paris high end real estate after the war. He bought many pieces of Impressionist art at ridiculously high priced at the time to help his fellow artists.

Some felt his works were a little too realistic to be included in the Impressionist movement.  He was criticized for his almost photographic quality in some of his works.

The Floor Scrapers 1875

When he passed away on February 21, 1894, he willed his vast collection of paintings to the State of France. Renoir was the executor of his estate. His collection was houses at the Luxembourg Museum for many years, then moved to the Louvre. Today it is housed at the Musee' d'Orsay.

Gustave  Caillebrote - from Wikipedia

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2. Gustave Caillebotte

   Painter
3. Gustave Caillebotte was a French painter, member and patron of the group of artists known as Impressionists, though he painted in a much more realistic manner than many other artists in the group. Wikipedia
5. Born: August 19, 1848, Paris, France
6. Died: February 21, 1894, Gennevilliers, France
7. Period: Impressionism
8. Siblings: Martial Caillebotte, Alfred Caillebotte, René Caillebotte
9. Parents: Céleste Daufresne, Martial Caillebotte
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