Julie Manet

Julie Manet (1879–1966) was the daughter of Berthe Morisot (one of the few recognized female French Impressionist artists) and Eugène Manet (brother of famed artist Édouard Manet) and lived at the heart of Parisian artistic circles in the late 19th century. This catalogue, accompanying an exhibition at the Musée Marmottan in Paris, chronicles Julie Manet’s involvement in this milieu. (The Musée Marmottan is the world’s leading collection of Morisot’s work, bequeathed by Julie’s son, Denis Rouart, in 1993.) With the early deaths of first her father and then her mother in 1895, a 16-year-old Julie was propelled into the active role of guardian of her mother’s estate and heritage, in which she was guided and supported by her parents’ friends (painters Edgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and poet Stéphane Mallarmé). While pursing painting for a time, after her marriage to the artist Ernest Rouart, Julie took a more active role in promoting her mother’s work through exhibitions, supporting the publication of a catalogue raisonné, and influencing acquisitions of Morisot’s work by French museums. Drawing on archival sources (Julie’s diary; letters; photographs; legal documents) this catalogue allows readers entry into Julie Manet’s world.