Rarely mentioned today, Gustave Caillebotte was one of the most important artists in late 19th century France. Trained as an engineer but studying at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Caillebotte brought a keen eye to perspective and a painter’s appreciation of colour, tone and light.

From a wealthy Parisian family, Caillebotte did not need to sell his own artworks but produced some of the most iconic paintings of the period, his innovative composition involving the viewer in the scene, and his subject matter extending beyond the main styles of the era.

He used his wealth to support other avant garde artists, organising and funding the exhibitions of the Impressionists from 1876, and buying many works by Monet, Renoir, Sisley, Degas, Morisot and Cézanne early in their careers. His personal collection of Impressionist paintings forms the heart of the Musée d’Orsay today.

Justin discusses Caillebotte’s depictions of ‘real life’ – regarded at the time as provocative – and of the leisurely flâneur in urban Paris, his boating and sailing scenes and his delicate landscapes of the Seine valley.