Gustave Caillebotte Exhibition at Brooklyn Museum Highlights Overlooked Impressionist

An exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in June 2009 focused on Gustave Caillebotte, an Impressionist painter often underrated despite his wealth and passion for yachting. The show featured two rooms, including a wall dedicated to wooden boat models based on Caillebotte's designs. Key artworks like The Parquet Floor Strippers from the Musée d'Orsay and Paris Street, A Rainy Day from the Art Institute of Chicago were absent, but a smaller study of floor scrapers was presented. This painting is noted for its depiction of labor, comparing to works by Gustave Courbet and Diego Velázquez, and emphasizes surface texture both literally and metaphorically. The exhibition, described as minor yet gem-packed, highlighted Caillebotte's dual interests in art and maritime activities.