Édouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (1882) is considered his best work because it pushes at the boundaries of art and portraiture in many different ways, inviting the viewer to consider some powerful questions about Paris social life at the time and we want you to do the same in 2023.
We are really interested to see and hear your ideas about how this work connects with our social lives and values now. Whether you are an artist, writer, performer, designer, musician or historian, The Courtauld would like you to research, interrogate and create a personal response to the painting in any media. You may work collaboratively, or independently to create a response.
By exploring aspects of the painting, from its materials and techniques, historical context and hidden meanings, we want you to draw out contemporary parallels and respond creatively to what you discover.
Use the themes and activities to help guide your project, and develop your own, which you can submit here.
Work in progress
