Mary Cassatt

Available Works

Biography

Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926) is an Impressionist expatriate known for her intimate maternal scenes, portraits, and landscapes. Cassatt began as a historical painter, she studied in Europe and was accepted into the Paris Salon in 1968. For many years after, Cassatt, although showing at the Salon, became disillusioned with its creative restrictions. When Edward Degas saw her work in the 1877 Salon and invited her to exhibit with the Impressionists, she took the opportunity to explore new light techniques and capture contemporary moments. Cassatt was the only American to be formerly part of the Impressionists, exhibiting with the group in four exhibitions.

Degas remained a mentor and influence on Cassatt throughout her career. She began to explore printmaking, focusing on portraiture in 1879. Cassatt would become known for her intimate mother and child portraits, capturing maternal and tender moments, as well as her portraits of women, often her sister Lydia, who lived with her in France. The works we currently have depict an unknown woman, an infant, and a small child, all common subjects for Cassatt, along with the colorful use of line and pastel to create emotion on the figures. Cassatt would continue producing art in France before her eyesight started failing in 1900. She died at her country home in 1926. Her works are included in major collections throughout the world, including at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, the Musee d’Orsay, Paris, France, and the British Museum, London, UK, among many others.