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Monet and the Birth of Impressionism (Part 1)
Monet and the Birth of Impressionism (Part 1)
In 1870s Paris a group of radical young artists led by Monet, Degas and Renoir decided to take on the art establishment and stage their own exhibition, independent of the enormous state-run art show - the Salon. It was a completely new idea that would transform how artists showed their work forever. But first they need to find a venue and recruit more artists to their cause. Then there’s the nagging question - how are they going to pay for it all? And when it finally opens, will anyone come? Join James and Alastair as they tell the story of the First Impressionist Exhibition of 1874, a turning point in the history of art that marked the beginning of a now world-famous art movement - Impressionism.
Artworks in this week’s episode include:
Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1872 Jean-Léon Gérôme, L'Éminence Grise, 1873 Edouard Manet, The Railway, 1873 Ludovic-Napoléon Lepic, Jupiter, 1861
Dr James Fox is a Cambridge art historian, bestselling author and multi award-winning broadcaster. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation. His critically-acclaimed books on art and culture have been translated into fourteen languages. His most recent title and best-seller Craftland: a journey through Britain’s Lost Arts and Vanishing Trades (2025) has been named Waterstones Book of the Year, BBC’s book of the week and shortlisted for the Nero Book Prize. James is perhaps best known for his many arts documentaries for the BBC, including A History of Art in Three Colours, The Art of Japanese Life The Age of the Image and Nature and Us: a history through Art
Alastair Sooke is an author and broadcaster, and chief art critic at The Telegraph, for which he has been covering art since 2003. He has presented more than 60 hours of television and radio for the BBC (Modern Masters, Treasures of Ancient Egypt, An Art Lovers’ Guide) and written several books, including studies of Henri Matisse and Georges Seurat, and a history of Pop art. He is a trustee of The Ampersand Foundation and was educated at the University of Oxford and the Courtauld Institute of Art.
