Spring (Manet)

Spring is a 1881 oil-on-canvas painting by Édouard Manet. It debuted at the Paris Salon of 1882 and was considered the greatest and final public success of Manet's Salon career.^[1] It depicts Parisian actress Jeanne DeMarsy in a floral dress with parasol and bonnet against a background of lush foliage and blue sky, as the embodiment of Spring. The painting also became the first work of art ever to be published in color.^[2]

Spring
French: Le Printemps
Artist	Édouard Manet
Year	1881
Catalogue	2014.62
Medium	Oil on canvas
Dimensions	74 cm × 51.5 cm (29.1 in × 20.3 in)
Location	J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Background

Spring was the first of a planned quartet of allegorical works using chic Parisian women to depict the four seasons. The idea came from Manet's friend, Antonin Proust, who suggested a series of seasons personified by contemporary ideals of women, fashion and beauty. The series was never finished and Manet died a year after finishing only the second of the series, Autumn.^[3]

Auction

In November 2014, the J. Paul Getty Museum paid more than $65 million for the painting, surpassing the previous record of $33.2 million for a Manet which was paid for Self Portrait With a Palette in 2010.^[4]

See also

• List of most expensive paintings
• List of paintings by Édouard Manet
• 1881 in art