This exhibition serves as an illustrated guide through the architecture, people, and culture of the dynamic, visionary French capital during the latter half of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. Théophile Steinlen, Henri-Gabriel Ibels, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Honoré Daumier, Édouard Vuillard, and other artists explored Parisian life through their subjective lenses, resulting in the kaleidoscope of impressions featuring the luxuries and hardships of city life, both public and private. As they immortalized the sights of Notre Dame, dancers at the Folies Bergère, and the promenading bourgeoisie on the boulevards, they also captured bustling street markets, absinthe drinkers in cafés, and the pursuits of beggars, buskers, and men and women at work. Through prints, drawings, photographs, and sculptures from the High’s rich holdings and significant loans from local private collections, this exhibition serves as an intimate exploration of the paradigmatic modern metropolis that is the City of Light.
In the City of Light: Paris, 1850-1920
September 1 – December 31, 2023
Jules Chéret (French, 1836-1932), Folies Bergère: Fleur de Lotus (detail), 1893, color lithograph, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Cox Communications, 2013.198.
Jacques-Henri Lartigue (French, 1894-1986), Paris, January 15, 1911- Avenue Du Bois De Boulogne, 1911, gelatin silver print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Frederick F. Hardin, 1990.30.
Jules Chéret (French, 1836-1932), Folies Bergère: Fleur de Lotus, 1893, color lithograph, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Cox Communications, 2013.198.
This exhibition is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta
Premier Exhibition Series Sponsor
Premier Exhibition Series Supporters
ACT Foundation, Inc.
William N. Banks, Jr.
Cousins Foundation
Burton M. Gold
Sarah and Jim Kennedy
Benefactor Exhibition Series Supporters
Robin and Hilton Howell
Ambassador Exhibition Series Supporters
Mrs. Fay S. Howell/The Howell Fund
The Fred and Rita Richman Fund
Louise Sams and Jerome Grilhot
Mrs. Harriet H. Warren
Elizabeth and Chris Willett
Contributing Exhibition Series Supporters
Farideh and Al Azadi
Sandra and Dan Baldwin
Mr. Joseph H. Boland, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robin E. Delmer
Peggy Foreman
Helen C. Griffith
Mr. and Mrs. Baxter Jones
Joel Knox and Joan Marmo
Margot and Danny McCaul
Wade A. Rakes II & Nicholas Miller
USI Insurance Services
Generous support is also provided by
Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund , Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund , Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Eleanor McDonald Storza Exhibition Endowment Fund, The Fay and Barrett Howell Exhibition Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund, Katherine Murphy Riley Special Exhibition Endowment Fund, Margaretta Taylor Exhibition Fund, RJR Nabisco Exhibition Endowment Fund.