Collection: In the City of Light: Paris, 1850-1920

 High Museum of Art

September 1 – December 31, 2023

This exhibition serves as an illustrated guide through the architecture, people, and culture of the dynamic, visionary French capital during the latter half of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. Théophile Steinlen, Henri-Gabriel Ibels, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Honoré Daumier, Édouard Vuillard, and other artists explored Parisian life through their subjective lenses, resulting in the kaleidoscope of impressions featuring the luxuries and hardships of city life, both public and private. As they immortalized the sights of Notre Dame, dancers at the Folies Bergère, and the promenading bourgeoisie on the boulevards, they also captured bustling street markets, absinthe drinkers in cafés, and the pursuits of beggars, buskers, and men and women at work. Through prints, drawings, photographs, and sculptures from the High’s rich holdings and significant loans from local private collections, this exhibition serves as an intimate exploration of the paradigmatic modern metropolis that is the City of Light.