Collection: Frédéric Bazille
Frédéric Bazille (1841-1870) longed to study painting after seeing the work of Eugène Delacroix. His wealthy family supported his interest as long as he also attended medical school. While studying medicine, he moved from Montpellier to Paris and became friends with Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Édouard Manet. He failed his medical exam in 1964 and he began painting full-time. At 23, Bazille painted his best known work, Family Reunion (1867), a depiction of his extended family at Méric, their country estate. Bazille's adept use of color and masterly command of the human figure in an outdoor setting make Family Reunion a leading example of Impressionism. Sadly, just three years later at the age of 29, Bazille died on a battlefield during of the Franco-Prussian War.