The Private Lives of the Impressionists

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Though they were often ridiculed or ignored by their contemporaries, today astonishing sums are paid for their paintings. Their dazzling works are familiar to even the most casual art lovers—but how well does the world know the Impressionists as people?

Sue Roe’s colorful, lively, poignant, and superbly researched biography, The Private Lives of the Impressionists, follows an extraordinary group of artists into their Paris studios, down the rural lanes of Montmartre, and into the rowdy riverside bars of a city undergoing monumental change. Vivid and unforgettable, it casts a brilliant, revealing light on this unparalleled society of genius colleagues who lived and worked together for twenty years and transformed the art world forever with their breathtaking depictions of ordinary life.

“Exceptionally detailed and thoroughly researched….Roe has done an admirable job of unearthing…countless…source materials.” “The title suggests titillation and does not disappoint…Intelligent and well-crafted portraits of some of history’s most intriguing geniuses.” “Roe constructs a penetrating group portrait…scintillatingly detailed and empathic.” “Meticulously researched and vividly written…a comprehensive and revealing group portrait.” “An entertaining, informative read…this [is a] wonderfully written biography.” “Charming… a decidedly readable work that should engage lay readers and spur undergraduates to conduct authentic research of their own.” “A compelling subject: Sue Roe’s book does it justice and is a pleasure to read.” “An illuminating insight into the lives of aesthetic revolutionaries” “Vivid, superbly researched…Sue Roe transports us back to their Paris” “Roe synthesizes the welath of published…work on half a dozen artists into a coherent narrative of kith and kinship” “Widely researched…[Roe] has a neat, light touch.” “Wonderful…Roe has a lively writing style and does a good job of delineating the personalities of each artist.”

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