Camille Pissarro (1830 - 1903), who vividly captured the lush countryside of France and its people hard at work, was central to the Impressionist movement in the second half of the 19th century. He was the only artist who exhibited in all eight of the Impressionist exhibitions, and was the group’s leader and father figure, whose altruism and guidance earned him the admiration of many younger artists. Pissarro was also a dedicated and inspiring parent to his own sons, who went on to pursue artistic careers as well. Of particular note is his eldest son Lucien, who moved to England, where he made significant artistic contributions as a Neo-Impressionist painter and printmaker.

This exhibition was composed chiefly of works by Pissarro and members of his family donated after Lucien’s death to the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, England’s longest-established museum. The approx. 90 exhibits also included works by the Barbizon School artists who influenced Pissarro’s style - Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet and Charles-François Daubigny - as well as works by contemporaries with whom Pissarro associated - Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Through exceptional works by Camille Pissarro, a "Painter of the Land" who immortalized French rural life, and works by his family and colleagues, this exhibition explored the influences Pissarro and other artists had on each other, and Pissarro’s place in the context of Impressionism and modern art.

Exhibits :

• 90 works (oils, drawings, lighographs, etching)

Catalogue texts :

• Anne Dumas
• Colin Harrison
• Yuji Makino

Lenders :

• The Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford