Bruce Experiences: French Film Series:–1874, The Birth of Impressionism

The docufiction “1874, The Birth of Impressionism” retraces the encounter of the young painters who changed the course of art history.

April 15, 1874, boulevard des Capucines, Paris. In the studio of their friend, the photographer Nadar, some thirty young painters were preparing to present over one hundred and fifty of their works to the public. At the end of a bubbling century, when modernity was emerging, this group of rebellious artists, free of codes, dared to hold an independent exhibition, which was to make headlines. Impressionism was born. On the occasion of a major exhibition celebrating the event’s 150th anniversary at the Musée d’Orsay in 2024, this documentary looks back at the moment that saw painters such as Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Morisot, Degas, Sisley and Pissarro change art history. (Julien Johan and Hugues Nancy, 2024, French with English language subtitles, DCP, 90 minutes)