Gustave Courbet

A comprehensive overview of the painterly and graphic work of Gustave Courbet―one of the the most eminent exponents of realism.

When I am no longer alive, people should say: 'This man never belonged to any school, any church, any institution, any academy, and especially to no regime, except the regime of freedom.' (Gustave Courbet)

Gustave Courbet is considered the most eminent exponent of realism, who boldly defied the idealizing conventions of 19th-century art. A spearhead of a socially committed type of painting, the artist also became known for his political involvement following the demise of the French Empire in 1870 through his role in the 1871 Paris Commune. In his portraits, landscapes and still lifes, the “dreamer” Courbet showed a quiet, contemplative world which appears in contrast to the rapid political and industrial changes of his time. With his self-confident demeanor, the importance he placed on artistic autonomy, his penchant for provocation and his revolutionary style of painting, he became a rebel of the art scene.