Paris 1874 Inventing impressionism, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France

150 years ago, on April 15, 1874, the first impressionist exhibition opened in Paris. “Hungry for independence”, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Morisot, Pissarro, Sisley and Cézanne finally decided to free themselves from the rules by holding their own exhibition, outside official channels: impressionism was born. To celebrate this anniversary, Musée d’Orsay presented some 130 works and bringing a fresh eye to bear on this key date, regarded as the day that launched the avant-gardes. It was stunning, so beautiful as to be almost overwhelming, and when the museum emailed me several says after I returned home with the question "did you see everything?" (wanting me to consider museum membership as a means of rectifying that) my reply was that I saw almost none of it, I just saw this amazing feast of color and talent.

In the museum's own words: What exactly happened in Paris in that spring of 1874, and what sense should we make today of an exhibition that has become legendary? “Paris 1874. The Impressionist Moment” seeks to trace the advent of an artistic movement that emerged in a rapidly changing world. “Paris 1874” reviews the circumstances that led these 31 artists (only seven of whom are well-known across the world today) to join forces and exhibit their works together. The period in question had a post-war climate, following two conflicts: the Franco-German War of 1870, and then a violent civil war. In this context of crisis, artists began to rethink their art and explore new directions. A little “clan of rebels” painted scenes of modern life, and landscapes sketched in the open air, in pale hues and with the lightest of touches. As one observer noted, “What they seem above all to be aiming at is an impression”.