Caillebotte's Gift

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Portraits in the Countryside 1876 Gustave Caillebotte

See Beyond Giverny - The Gardens of Caillebotte, Bonnard and Renoir to see some of the lesser known gardens of the Impressionists.

Caillebotte inherited a substantial sum at the age of 26. He used that good fortune partially to help his Impressionist friends by purchasing their paintings and supporting their exhibitions, including co-financing the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th Impressionist Exhibitions. By the time of his death in 1894, Caillebotte had collected multiple works by Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne and Édouard Manet.

After the death of a younger brother, Caillebotte became concerned that he, too would die at an early age. He wrote his will when he was only in his twenties:

“I give to the French State the paintings which I have; nevertheless, since I want that this donation be accepted and in such a manner that the paintings go neither in a…