Gustave Caillebotte, August 19, 1848 – February 21, 1894, was a French painter, collector, and patron of the Impressionists. Although closely associated with the Impressionist movement, his paintings are distinguished by their precise draftsmanship, unusual perspectives, and realistic depictions of modern Paris and suburban life.

Caillebotte studied law before turning to art and trained under Léon Bonnat at the École des Beaux-Arts. He exhibited with the Impressionists beginning in 1876 and became one of the group’s principal financial supporters, helping to organize exhibitions and purchasing works by artists including Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, and Berthe Morisot. His collection later formed a major part of the French national holdings of Impressionist art.

His paintings explore Parisian boulevards, bridges, interiors, gardens, rivers, boating, and scenes along the Yerres and the Seine. Although less celebrated than some of his contemporaries during his lifetime, Caillebotte is now recognized as one of the leading painters of French Impressionism and one of its most important patrons.

Self-Portrait, c 1892
Oil on canvas, 22 x 17.3 in
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Nude Woman Reclining on a Couch, 1873
Oil on canvas
Private Collection

The Floor Scrapers, 1875
Oil on canvas, 40.2 x 57.7 in
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

The Yerres, Rain, 1875
Oil on canvas, 35.2 x 45.7 in
Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Bloomington, IN

Young Man at His Window, 1876
Oil on canvas, 46.1 x 32.3 in
J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Pont de l'Europe, 1876
Oil on canvas, 49.2 x 71.3 in
Petit Palais, Geneva, Switzerland

Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877
Oil on canvas, 83.5 x 108.7 in
Art Institute of Chicago

Rue Halévy, View from the Sixth Floor, 1878
Oil on canvas, 23.6 x 28.7 in
Museum Barberini, Potsdam, Germany

Rooftops in the Snow, 1878
Oil on canvas, 25.6 x 31.9 in
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

At the Café, 1880
Oil on canvas, 46.1 x 35.4 in
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen, France

Balcony, Boulevard Haussmann, 1880
Oil on canvas, 27.1 x 24.4 in
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Sailboats at Argenteuil, 1888
Oil on canvas, 35 x 45.7 in
Musée d'Orsay, Paris

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