The Second Impressionist Exhibition was an art exhibition held by in Paris, France in 1876. It was the second exhibition held by the group following the First Impressionist Exhibition two years earlier in 1874.
History In April 1876, the Impressionists held a second public exhibition. The Second Impressionist Exhibition was held in Paul Durand-Ruel's gallery at 11 rue Le Peletier. About two-hundred fifty paintings by twenty artists were shown at the exhibition. In contrast with the first first show, the paintings were grouped by artist, rather than commingling them. Seventeen of the artists that participated in the first exhibition, notably Paul Cézanne, did not participate in the second show. The second show did, however, include some newcomers, such as Gustave Caillebotte. Édouard Manet once again declined to participate, and after being rejected from the Salon of 1876, instead held his own solo show at his studio.
Reception
The Second Impressionist Exhibition had fewer visitors overall compared the First Impressionist Exhibition. The press, however, was just as vicious as with the first.
Writing Le Figaro, Albert Wolff called the exhibition a dissaster and compared it to previous Opera house fire. He particularly criticized the Impressionist's use of colors. In regards to Renoir's Torse de femme au soleil, Wolff compared the colors of the woman's skin to that of a rotting corpse. In response to this article, Berthe Morisot's husband Eugène Manet considered challening Wolff to a duel, but was dissuaded.
Participating artists The exhibition catalog lists nineteen artists as participated in the Second Impressionist Exhibition in 1876.
List of artworks
The exhibition catalog for the Second Impressionist Exhibition lists artworks numbered 1 through 252. Several of these entries contain multiple artworks each. Four artworks were shown at the exhibition ("out of catalog"), meaning that they were exhibited but were not listed in the catalog. These artworks have been identified as being displayed at the exhibition through references in contemporary reviews. These artworks are numbered as "HC#" in the list below.