Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
On March 15, 1874, a group of artists later called the Impressionists opened an independent exhibition in a gallery in the center of Paris. In the 150 years that followed, their works have become some of the most widely recognized and popular in the world. Beginning in the early twentieth century, a steady stream of exhibitions and publications have presented their lives and work in extensive detail, including several recent projects—some headed by this panel’s members—that explored the context and origins of their rebellious break with tradition, as well as their wide-ranging output and their interactions with each other. What remains to be seen and said about Impressionism? This roundtable conversation will consider the benefits and challenges of studying and exhibiting the art of this period now and in the years to come.
Colin B. Bailey, Katharine J. Rayner Director, The Morgan Library & Museum and curator of Renoir Drawings
André Dombrowski, Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of 19th Century European Art, University of Pennsylvania
Jodi Hauptman, The Robert Lehman Foundation Chief Curator of Drawings and Prints, The Museum of Modern Art
Nancy Ireson, Consultant Curator, Barnes Foundation
Mary Morton, Curator and Head of French Paintings, National Gallery of Art
Held Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
On March 15, 1874, a group of artists later called the Impressionists opened an independent exhibition in a gallery in the center of Paris. In the 150 years that followed, their works have become some of the most widely recognized and popular in the world. Beginning in the early twentieth century, a steady stream of exhibitions and publications have presented their lives and work in extensive detail, including several recent projects—some headed by this panel’s members—that explored the context and origins of their rebellious break with tradition, as well as their wide-ranging output and their interactions with each other. What remains to be seen and said about Impressionism? This roundtable conversation will consider the benefits and challenges of studying and exhibiting the art of this period now and in the years to come.
Colin B. Bailey, Katharine J. Rayner Director, The Morgan Library & Museum and curator of Renoir Drawings
André Dombrowski, Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of 19th Century European Art, University of Pennsylvania
Jodi Hauptman, The Robert Lehman Foundation Chief Curator of Drawings and Prints, The Museum of Modern Art
Nancy Ireson, Consultant Curator, Barnes Foundation
Mary Morton, Curator and Head of French Paintings, National Gallery of Art
Held Wednesday, December 3, 2025.
