Manet and Astruc Friendship and Inspiration 23.10.2021 – 27.02.2022

Manet and Astruc: Friendship and Inspiration

Manet and who? Edouard Manet (1832–1883) is one of the most famous artists of the 19th century. Zacharie Astruc (1833–1907), however, is almost unknown as an artist today. Initially he made a name for himself as an art critic: he was the first to publicly defend Manet’s works. In the 1860s Manet painted him several times. With the Portrait of Zacharie Astruc of 1866, which is a part of the collection of the Kunsthalle Bremen, Manet created a programmatic statement on the taste of the avant-garde. Everything the two loved and discussed is contained in the painting – Japonism, Spanish fashion, the art of the Old Masters and music.

The exhibition at the Kunsthalle Bremen explores the shared interests of the artist friends and presents masterpieces by Manet alongside surprising paintings, sculptures and watercolours by Astruc. Paintings of well-known contemporaries such as Henri Fantin-Latour, Claude Monet und Pierre-Auguste Renoir illustrate the wider artistic context.

**Édouard Manet, *Portrait of Zacharie Astruc*, 1866**

Oil on canvas, 90,5 x 116 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen

**Installation view „Manet and Astruc“**
Photo: Marcus Meyer Photography

**Henri Fantin-Latour, *A Studio at Les Batignolles*, 1870**

Oil on canvas, 204 x 273,5 cm, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay) / Benoît Touchard/Mathieu Rabeau

**Édouard Manet, *Émile Zola*, 1868**

Oil on canvas, 146 x 114 cm Musée d’Orsay, Paris, © Photo RMN-Grand Palais (musée d’Orsay) / Herve Lewandowski

**Édouard Manet, *Music Lesson*, 1870**

Oil on canvas, 141 x 173,1 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

**Édouard Manet, *The Spanish Singer*, 1860**

Oil on canvas, 147,3 x 114,3 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

**Édouard Manet, *Bullfight*, 1865/1866**

Oil on canvas, 48 x 60,4 cm, The Art Institute of Chicago

**Édouard Manet, Spanish Ballet, 1862**

Oil on canvas, 61 x 90,5 cm, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

**Édouard Manet, *The Cats’ Rendezvous*, 1868**

Lithograph, sheet: 52 x 43 cm, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Kupferstich-Kabinett

**Édouard Manet, *Flowers in a Crystal Vase*, c. 1882**

Oil on canvas, 32,7 x 24,5 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection

**Zacharie Astruc, *Flowers in a Vase*, c. 1884/1904**

Watercolour over traces of graphite, 23,4 x 17,1 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

**Installation view „Manet and Astruc“**
in front: Zacharie Astruc, *Portrait Édouard Manet*, c. 1881 | at the back: Carolus-Duran, *Portrait Zacharie Astruc*, 1884 | both: Musées d’Angers, photo: Bettina Conradi

**Zacharie Astruc, The *Mask Seller*, small version, c. 1886**

Bronze, 92,5 cm, Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen, photo: Bettina Conradi

**Installation view „Manet and Astruc“**
left: Zacharie Astruc, *The Monk. Ecstasy in Sleep*, 1893, Musées de Laval | right: Édouard Manet, *Monk in Prayer*, c. 1864/65, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston | photo: Marcus Meyer Photography

This exhibition is the latest chapter in a series of major exhibitions at the Kunsthalle Bremen on nineteenth-century French painters, such as Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Gustave Caillebotte and, most recently, Emile Bernard. A focus on the museum’s own holdings and new scholarly insights have elicited an enthusiastic response from the public. The Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and many other important collections are supporting the exhibition with major loans.

We are looking for friendship stories!

On the occasion of the Manet exhibition, the Kunsthalle Bremen is collecting videos of friendship stories. The friendly relationships in the exhibition make it clear: friends inspire each other, stand by each other in crises, they come and go. We are looking forward to receiving videos in which people talk about their friendships: Whether homage or obituary, we are looking for stories of friendships that will be presented in the context of the Manet exhibition.

The videos can be sent via download link (e.g. wetransfer.com) to: deine@kunsthalle-bremen.de
(The video may be a maximum of 3:00 minutes long. It must be recorded in landscape format 16:9 and preferably submitted as mp4. The visual design of the video – monologue into the camera, voiceover over photo spread or similar – is up to the submitting person.)

You can also read more about the friendship between Édouard Manet and Zacharie Astruc on our Blog. (in German)

Art Break online (in German)

Manet's Journey to Spain

A special role in the exhibition is played by the shared admiration of Edouard Manet and Zacharie Astruc for the art and culture of Spain. Manet travelled to the country in 1865 after his friend Astruc had recommended a detailed itinerary, which Manet partially followed during his two-week stay.

Follow Manet here and travel virtually through Spain along the artist's itinerary at the time. (in German)

Interactive Travel Diary

Around the world with Manet! On the occasion of the Manet exhibition, the Kunsthalle has published an interactive travel diary in which adventurers young and old can record their own travel experiences: View the travel diary online (PDF).
The file can be downloaded for printing under Downloads at the bottom of this page.
The travel diary is in German language.

Goya and Manet: Revolutionary Etchings

In the accompanying exhibition, ˮGoya and Manet: Revolutionary Etchings“ (23 October 2021 to 27 February 2022), the Spanish painter and printmaker Francisco de Goya is presented and compared to selected prints by Manet in the Department of Prints and Drawings. Goya was an important source of inspiration to Manet.

Installation view „Manet and Astruc. Friendship and Inspiration“ (photo: Marcus Meyer Photography)

Find information on opening hours and entrance fees here.

Guided Tours

Public Tours:
(in German only) Fri 3 pm, Sun 3 pm
Tickets are available at kunsthalle-bremen.de/tickets or one hour before start of the tour at the museum desk | € 6,- (plus admission fee)

Public Tours Online:
(in German) Fri 5 pm
Tickets are available at kunsthalle-bremen.de/tickets | € 6,- per person

Guided Tours and Online Tours for groups:
(available in German, Dutch, English, French and Russian)
€ 80,- (plus admission fee / except for online tours)
€ 90,- on weekends and public holidays (plus admission fee / except for online tours)
Information and registration: T +49 (0)421 - 32 908 220 or right here

In our online tours for groups, you can either get an overview of the entire exhibition, or you can book thematic focuses and thus specialise your knowledge.

Manet & Astruc exklusive
Enjoy with your guests the Manet Exhibition exclusively beyond the opening hours!
Please call us – we will be happy to advise you: T +49 (0)421 - 32 908 197

Accompanying Media

Exhibition Catalogue:
The catalogue will be published at the start of the exhibition by Deutscher Kunstverlag (in German) and CEEH | Centro de Estudios Europa Hispánica (in English), over 320 pages, edited by Dorothee Hansen, with contributions by Jean-Paul Bouillon, Christine Demele, Sharon Flescher, Alice Gudera, Dorothee Hansen, Maren Hüppe, Gudrun Maurer, Édouard Papet and Samuel Rodary.
Museum edition Kunsthalle Bremen: € 34,- (no shipment)
Bookstore edition: € 54,- (German: ISBN 978-3-422-98760-9) | Englisch: ISBN 978-84-18760-02-0)

Audio Tour/Art Surfer
Audio guide (in German only) for adults (€ 4,-) and children (free of charge)
New: The Art Surfer for adults and children with 30 stages of the exhibition to listen to and read along on your own smartphone | free of charge, German
artsurfer.kunsthalle-bremen.de (Only available via W-LAN in the museum, please bring your own headphones.)

Accompanying Booklet for Children and Families
Available from November 2021 at the museum ticket desk (in German | free of charge).

Hotel Packages

Deals by Hotel Munte am Stadtwald

Deals by BTZ Bremer Touristik Zentrale

The exhibition is made possible by:

Supported by:

Mobility Partner:

Media Partners:

Cultural Partner:

Downloads

Exhibition Flyer (PDF | German)

Exhibition Flyer (PDF | English)

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