Berthe Morisot's House

It was in this charming house in Bougival, to the west of Paris, rented out every summer between 1881 and 1884, that Berthe Morisot settled with her husband Eugène Manet and their daughter Julie, who liked to say that these moments spent with her family ‘were the happiest of her life’.
Berthe stayed for most of the year in 1882, taking advantage of the magnificent flower-filled garden to paint some of her most beautiful pictures, including The Fable, Garden at Bougival and Eugène Manet and his daughter.

A place of memory and creation

Completely renovated, the Maison Berthe Morisot now offers a museum space with a permanent interactive tour enabling visitors to discover the life and work of the artist and highlighting the role of women in Impressionism. The only place dedicated to this major female figure of Impressionism, it pays tribute to her work, which has been exhibited all over the world, and also provides an insight into the upheaval represented by the movement, a pictorial revolution that paved the way for the artistic avant-gardes of the early 20th century. From the garden to the studio, via the veranda, the tour immerses visitors in the world of Berthe Morisot and her family, and in the cultural life of 19th-century Bougival.

The rise of an Impressionist woman

Born in Bourges in 1841, Berthe Morisot grew up in a cultured, bourgeois family, which gave her and her sisters an artistic education from an early age. Her talent was quickly recognised, and she benefited from the influence of great masters such as Camille Corot, who introduced her to plein air painting. She was able to exhibit her first works at various salons, gradually making a name for herself and forging valuable relationships, notably with Édouard Manet's family. At the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874, which gave its name to the movement, she was the only woman to exhibit publicly alongside her male colleagues, including Claude Monet and Edgar Degas.

Although she is little represented in museums today, having sold few paintings during her lifetime, the musée Marmottan Monet is an exception. It houses the world's largest collection of her work. Some 25 paintings, 65 watercolours, pastels and drawings make up the only museum collection to encompass the artist's work.

Follow in the footsteps of the Impressionist painters in the Paris Region.