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GUSTAVE CAILLEBOTTE'S YOUTH
Gustave Caillebotte was born on August 19, 1848. He inherited a sizable fortune after his father's death in 1874, which funded his patronage of the arts. Also, in 1874 he attended the École des Beaux-Arts where he met impressionist painters Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, and Pierre Auguste Renoir.
GUSTAVE CAILLEBOTTE AS AN ARTIST
His painting style appears to belong to the school of realism, although he helped organize the first impressionist exhibition and enthusiastically collected of impressionist works.
Caillebotte's painting themes were catholic. For example, he painted portraits and interior scenes, urban life, still lifes, and landscapes and seascapes. He often chose an overhead vantage point for his compositions and depicted elegantly dressed figures strolling with the expressionless look of sleep walkers (Boulevard Vu d'en Haut 1880). His metropolitan scenes led editor Anne Distel to title a book about him, Gustave Caillebotte: Urban Impressionist.
For many years, Caillebotte's reputation as a painter was superseded by his reputation as a supporter of the arts. However, 70 years after his death, art historians began reevaluating his artistic contributions.
Just two years before he died, he married Emilie Schlauch.
GUSTAVE CAILLEBOTTE'S DEATH
Gustave Caillebotte died on February 21, 1894 of pulmonary congestion and was interred in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France. In his will, Caillebotte donated his entire collection to the French government and 40 of his works hang in the Musee d'Orsay.
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