The extraordinary story behind Manet’s portrait of his only pupil Eva Gonzalès, placed within the broader context of women painters of the period

Edouard Manet (1832–1883) only ever had one formal pupil, Eva Gonzalès (1849–1883). The daughter of a prominent writer, she entered Manet’s studio aged 19. He portrayed her the year they met and exhibited the ambitious full-length portrait at the Paris Salon of 1870, at which Gonzalès also displayed her own work, for the first time, to positive reviews.

The first in a new series of Discover titles, in which a single work of art in the National Gallery’s collection is reconsidered from a fresh perspective, this book reveals the extraordinary story behind Manet’s portrait by examining it in the context of women’s artistic practice in nineteenth-century Paris, Gonzalès’s development as a professional painter, and Manet’s career in 1870.

Combining new art historical research with engaging essays on women artists and their representation in visual culture, Discover Manet & Eva Gonzalès provides a richly illustrated, in-depth study of Manet’s portrait and offers a groundbreaking viewpoint on both artists.

Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press 

Contributions by: Hannah Baker, Catherine Higgitt, Hayley Tomlinson