Gustave CAILLEBOTTE, born in 1848 and precociously deceased, was for a long time the forgotten master of Impressionism. Until the 1950s, he was much more famous in the United States than in France.
He was a painter, collector, patron and organizer of the Impressionist exhibitions of 1877, 1879, 1880 and 1882. He turned to painting (after attending the Beaux-Arts for a year), but was also passionate about boating and naval architecture. At the age of 25, he met MONET in Argenteuil, and remained a great support to him throughout his life.
A year later, his father passed away, leaving the family with a considerable fortune that allowed young Gustave to lead his own life.
His painting Les raboteurs de parquets (now in the Musée d'Orsay) was rejected at the 1875 Salon, as it was criticized for its resolutely innovative, naturalist style.
This refusal prompted him to move closer to the Impressionists. He became the organizer of exhibitions that allowed him to present his own paintings. He didn't hesitate to show dozens of them, as he produced a lot.
On the death of their mother, the two CAILLEBOTTE brothers built themselves a large property in Gennevilliers, and Gustave took a short break from painting to devote himself to the estate and another of his passions: horticulture.
Tragically, he died of a stroke at the age of 45. His heirs sold his Impressionist collection, but 70% of the 500 paintings he produced are still owned by his descendants.
It was long thought that Gustave CAILLEBOTTE had abandoned painting during the Gennevilliers years, until the Art Institute of CHICAGO acquired in 2011 - at auction - a notebook held by a private Swiss collector. This notebook - a real treasure - was used by CAILLEBOTTE between 1883 and 1887. It reveals that the painter spent time in VÉTHEUIL, VIENNE-EN-ARTHIES and CHÉRENCE, places he immortalized on several pages (click on the drawing to enlarge).
To find out more and visit the CAILLEBOTTE house, click here.
