Philippe Sollers on Manet's Women at Musée d'Orsay

An exhibition titled 'Manet, inventeur du Moderne' opens at the Musée d'Orsay on April 5, 2011, curated by Stéphane Guégan. It is the first major Manet retrospective since Françoise Cachin's in 1983. Guégan interviewed writer Philippe Sollers for the catalogue, whose reflections on Manet's female subjects are published. Sollers discusses Manet's wife Suzanne, who played Haydn sonatas; Victorine Meurent, model for Olympia and Déjeuner sur l'herbe; Berthe Morisot, who married Manet's brother; Nana, depicted with insolence; Méry Laurent, who brought white lilacs to Manet's grave; and Suzon, model for A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. Sollers characterizes Manet as a 'classic of all time' whose work combines concentration and improvisation. The exhibition runs through July 3, 2011. The catalogue includes essays by Laurence des Cars, Simon Kelly, Nancy Locke, Helen Burnham, and L.A. Prat.