The extraordinary story behind Manet’s portrait of his only pupil Eva Gonzales, placed within the broader context of women painters of the period

Edouard Manet (1832-1883) only ever had one formal pupil, Eva Gonzales (1849-1883). The daughter of a prominent writer, she entered Manet’s studio aged 19. He portrayed her the year they met and exhibited the ambitious full-length portrait at the Paris Salon of 1870, at which Gonzales also displayed her own work, for the first time, to positive reviews.

The first in a new series of Discover titles, in which a single work of art in the National Gallery’s collection is reconsidered from a fresh perspective, this book reveals the extraordinary story behind Manet’s portrait by examining it in the context of women’s artistic practice in nineteenth-century Paris, Gonzales’s development as a professional painter, and Manet’s career in 1870.

Combining new art historical research with engaging essays on women artists and their representation in visual culture, Discover Manet & Eva Gonzales provides a richly illustrated, in-depth study of Manet’s portrait and offers a groundbreaking viewpoint on both artists.