La Place Clichy by Renoir

Acquisition of 'La Place Clichy' by Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). This painting is one of Renoir's most sophisticated developments of impressionism. In it he combines subtle perspectival devices and varied forms of paint handling in order to locate this modish Parisienne in the bustle of the city street she inhabits. The bold cropping of the principal figure and steep recession of the street suggest the influence of Janese ukiyo-ë prints, although these were themselves influenced by Western traditions of perspective. The scene has been identified as place Clichy since it appeared in the sale of the art critic Adolphe Tavernier in 1900, and was probably painted in Renoir's studio in nearby Rue Saint-Georges in 1880. The painting was acquired in 1924 by the great collector, Samuel Courtauld. It arrived in Cambridge with Courtauld's son-in-law, Lord Butler of Safforn Walden and was placed on loan to the Fitzwilliam Museum, where it now permanently remains. Oil on canvas, 65x54cm.