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Primary sourcePainting1879-1880

Portrait of Georges Clemenceau

Édouard Manet · 1879-1880

Édouard Manet's 1879-1880 oil portrait of the young Clemenceau, painted early in his political career, now in the Musée d'Orsay.

This Manet portrait depicts Clemenceau as a young radical deputy at the start of his political career.

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Painting of a bald man with a dark handlebar mustache, wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark bow tie, with arms folded against a muted grey-brown background. Loose, sketchy brushwork.
Édouard Manet, Portrait of Clemenceau, 1879-1880. Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

About this source

What it is

This oil painting by Édouard Manet, made in 1879–1880, depicts Georges Clemenceau with his arms crossed. The sitting dates are known from two letters by Clemenceau himself. The painting passed from Manet's daughter to Clemenceau, was later sold to American collector Louisine Havemeyer, and eventually donated to the Louvre before moving to its present home, the Musée d'Orsay.

Why it matters

The portrait captures Clemenceau at the start of his career as a radical deputy in the Chamber, long before he became Prime Minister. Clemenceau himself disliked the painting, famously calling it "very bad", which is a reminder that historical portraits do not always please their subjects, and that sitters and artists can see the same image very differently.

Look closer

  • What does Clemenceau's pose and expression suggest about his personality at this stage of his life?
  • Why might Clemenceau have disliked a portrait he agreed to sit for?
  • What does the painting's history of ownership tell us about how art and reputation can change over time?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Georges Clemenceau on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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