Eva Gonzalès. Parcours d'une artiste libre

The Petit Palais presents an unprecedented monographic exhibition dedicated to the painter Eva Gonzalès (1847-1883), before moving to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in February 2027. A contemporary of Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot, with whom she is often associated, Eva Gonzalès has never been the subject of a major retrospective, either in France or internationally.

This artist of subtle sensibility was Édouard Manet's only pupil, with whom she maintained an exceptional artistic relationship. Supported by an attentive and cultured family circle, she managed to assert her unique voice in a century that left little room for women artists.

Bringing together nearly 100 works – paintings, pastels, and engravings – the exhibition pays tribute to an artist of affirmed talent, who died prematurely at the age of 36.

The chronological journey traces her trajectory and invites visitors to discover a determined personality, by delving into the heart of her intimate world.

Coming from a cultivated bourgeois background, Eva Gonzalès benefited very early on from an environment conducive to the blossoming of her artistic vocation.

Her father, Emmanuel Gonzalès, a renowned journalist and man of letters, moved within the heart of the Parisian art scene, while her mother, Céline Ragut, a musician, hosted a salon frequented by literary and high society Paris.

Trained in Charles Chaplin's studio, the young painter quickly broke free to assert a personal and sensitive style, perceptible in works such as La Psyché (circa 1869-1870, National Gallery, London), La Fenêtre (circa 1865-1870, Denver Art Museum) or Le Moineau (circa 1865-1870, private collection).

Her meeting with Édouard Manet in 1869 marked a decisive turning point in her career: she then became his only pupil and one of his models, while determinedly pursuing an independent career.

Eva Gonzalès exhibited regularly at the Salon between 1870 and 1883, without joining the Impressionist group.

She notably presented Une loge aux Italiens (1874, musée d’Orsay, Paris) or Le Clairon (1870, musée de Gajac, Villeneuve-sur-Lot), works where Manet's clear influence emerges, both in the choice of subjects and in the freedom of touch.

The exhibition highlights a subtle and intimate body of work, attentive to female figures and daily life. Scè