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Musée d'Orsay Hosts First French National Retrospective of Mary Cassatt, Opening October 2026

exhibition · 2026-07-08

From October 6, 2026, to January 31, 2027, the Musée d'Orsay will present 'Mary Cassatt. L'indépendante,' marking the first major retrospective of the American artist at a French national museum. Curated by Caroline Corbeau-Parsons and Anne Robbins, the exhibition showcases ninety pieces that emphasize Cassatt's autonomy and her contributions to Impressionism, challenging the perception of her as merely a traditional affluent woman. Notable artworks include 'Femme au bonnet' (1889-1890), 'Le Dos nu' (1884), and 'Portrait d'Agnès au chien' (1907). Cassatt, who studied at the Pennsylvania Academy and in Paris, was a proponent of direct painting and played a significant role in promoting Impressionism in the U.S., even organizing a 1915 exhibition advocating for women's voting rights. The exhibition will conclude with 'Mère et enfant sur fond vert.'

Key facts

  • Exhibition dates: October 6, 2026 – January 31, 2027 at Musée d'Orsay, Paris.
  • First retrospective of Mary Cassatt by a French national museum.
  • Curated by Caroline Corbeau-Parsons and Anne Robbins.
  • Features ninety works, including paintings, pastels, and prints.
  • Includes previously unexhibited works: 'Femme au bonnet' (1889-1890), 'Le Dos nu' (1884), 'Portrait d'Agnès au chien' (1907).
  • Pastel 'Jeune fille en rose avec un éventail' (1889) from Japan not seen in France for nearly a century.
  • Cassatt lived nearly sixty years in France and was a member of the Impressionist group.
  • She was a suffragette and organized a 1915 exhibition with Louisine Havemeyer for women's voting rights.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Musée d'Orsay
  • Académie des beaux-arts de Pennsylvanie
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Petit Palais, musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris
  • Institut national d'histoire de l'art
  • Exposition universelle de Chicago
  • Connaissance des Arts
  • GrandPalaisRmn
  • Christie's Images
  • Bridgeman Images
  • Accademia di Parma
  • École des Beaux-Arts
  • Durand-Ruel
  • Bibliothèque nationale de France
  • Société des peintres-graveurs
  • L'Estampe originale
  • Galerie Durand-Ruel
  • Artizon Museum – Ishibashi Foundation
  • Wichita Art Museum
  • The Metropolitan Museum
  • Knoedler Gallery
  • Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
  • National Gallery, London
  • Musée Jacquemart-André
  • Petit Palais
  • Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
  • Los Angeles County Museum of Art
  • National Gallery of Art, Washington
  • Beaux-Arts de Paris
  • BnF
  • Knoedler gallery
  • Beaux Arts Magazine
  • Château de Beaufresne
  • Fondation Bemberg
  • Nos Lèvres Révoltées
  • Beaux Arts
  • Le Monde
  • World's Columbian Exposition

Locations

  • Paris
  • France
  • United States
  • Spain
  • Japan
  • New York
  • Chicago
  • Bachivillers
  • Oise
  • Beaufresne
  • Bois de Boulogne
  • Éragny
  • Parma
  • Italy
  • Tokyo
  • Wichita
  • Boston
  • London
  • United Kingdom
  • Pennsylvania
  • Allegheny
  • Pittsburgh
  • Netherlands
  • Los Angeles
  • Washington
  • Toulouse
  • Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Sources

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