The Forest of Fontainebleau, an outdoor workshop

Un atelier grandeur nature. De Corot à Picasso
From 6 March to 13 May 2007. In the 19th century, as open-air painting became increasingly popular, the Barbizon painters and later the Impressionists took over the Fontainebleau forest, turning it into an artist’s haven...

What made the Fontainebleau such an inspirational location for 19th century painters, photographers, writers and poets? The Musée d’Orsay attempts to provide an answer by way of an exhibition. The sheer scope of the exhibition can be gauged from the fact that this picturesque forest inspired hundreds of works illustrating the art of landscape painting by a host of artists, from Corot to Picasso. Through this collection of works by some of the greatest names in art, the exhibition invites visitors to examine the nature of the attraction this extremely particular location exercised on artists all through the 19th century: they drew inspiration from the spirit of the place and modified its image. The exhibition unveils the mysteries of the Fontainebleau forest, which was made the world’s first listed natural site in 1874 because of its impact on French art.