GUSTAVE COURBET. Realist and Rebel

Editors: Niklaus Manuel Güdel and Hans-Peter Wipplinger

Authors: Pierre Chessex, Dominique de Font-Réaulx, Benjamin Foudral, Niklaus Manuel Güdel, Sophie Elaine de Oliveira, Michel Hilaire, Ségolène Le Men, Stephanie Marchal, Bruno Mottin, Isolde Pludermacher, Anne-Sophie Poirot, Daniela Stöppel, Lili-Vienne Debus, Hans-Peter Wipplinger

Gustave Courbet (1819–1877) is considered the most eminent exponent of realism, who boldly defied the idealizing conventions of 19th-century art. A spearhead of a socially committed type of painting, the artist also became known for his political involvement following the demise of the French Empire in 1870 through his role in the 1871 Paris Commune. In his portraits, landscapes and still lifes, the “dreamer” Courbet showed a quiet, contemplative world which appears in contrast to the rapid political and industrial changes of his time. Following the political turmoil of 1871 and a six-month stint in prison, Courbet planned a major presentation at the Vienna World’s Fair in 1873 which was never fully realized. The artist was only able to show seven works as part of a group exhibition of the Austrian Kunstverein. Courbet considered moving to the Austrian capital, before deciding to go into exile in Switzerland, where he died in 1877. The large-scale retrospective at the Leopold Museum is the first solo exhibition dedicated to Courbet in Austria, featuring works from all periods of the artist’s oeuvre and affording a comprehensive overview of his work. Overall, the exhibition features around 130 exhibits, among them some 90 paintings and 20 graphic works.