In conversation: 150 Years of Impressionism

A hundred and fifty years ago, thirty artists joined forces in Paris and displayed their works at the studio of the photographer Félix Nadar from April 15 to May 15, 1874, independently of the official Academy exhibitions. This first of the eight so-called “Impressionist” exhibitions marks the birth of a new artistic movement. Among the members of the group were Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, and Alfred Sisley—pioneers of modern art in France, all of whom are represented with outstanding works in the Hasso Plattner Collection at the Museum Barberini.

In honor of this 150th anniversary, the museum presented a two-day conference on May 15–16, 2024, entitled “Impressionismus heute. Ausstellen, Forschen, Untersuchen” (“Impressionism Today: Exhibiting, Researching, Studying”) with presentations on the current state of research by experts from German-speaking Europe.

In this video, a number of these experts offer insight into the origin and development of Impressionism, the innovative character of the new style, and the role of German museums in its dissemination. Featuring Dr. Alexander Bastek (Museum Behnhaus Drägerhaus, Lübeck), Prof. Dr. Claudia Blümle (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Dr. Dorothee Hansen (Kunsthalle Bremen), Felicitas Klein (restorer, Berlin), Robert Knöll (Knöll Rahmen, Basel), Barbara Schaefer (Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Cologne), and Dr. Lucy Wasensteiner (Universität Bonn).