Olympia (small plate)
1867
Medium
Etching on laid paper, sixth and final state
Dimensions
plate: 3 7/16 x 7in. (8.7 x 17.8cm) sheet: 4 7/8 x 8in. (12.4 x 20.3cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1921
Accession Number
21.76.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
Édouard Manet's *Olympia (small plate (1867) is a striking etching that captures the provocative essence of his infamous 1863 oil painting *Olympia*. In this intimate print, a nude woman reclines boldly, her direct gaze challenging the viewer, accompanied by a sleek black cat her feet—symbols that scandalized 19th-century Paris.et, a pivotal figure bridging Realism and Impressionism, drew from Old Master traditions like Titian's *Venus of Urbino* but infused it with modern urban life, portraying Olympia as a contemporary courtesan rather than an idealized goddess. Rendered in etching on laid ...
About the Artist
Edouard Manet · 1832–1883
Édouard Manet (1832-1883) was a French painter who played a pivotal role in the transition from Realism to Impressionism, often called the 'Father of Modern Art.' Born into a wealthy Parisian family, Manet defied his father's wishes for a legal career to pursue painting, studying under academic artist Thomas Couture. His revolutionary works 'Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe' and 'Olympia' (both 1863) scand...