Illustration
The 1863 oil on canvas painting, Olympia, by Edouard Manet (1832-83), the French modernist painter. The painting was exhibited in the 1865 Salon in Paris and shocked the art world for its presentation of a contemporary courtesan fully nude and with an unabashed stare. Her nudity is accentuated by the black choker while the black cat was a known symbol of desire. The figure is Manet’s long-time model Victorine Meurent. Manet employs several innovations: he uses unusual colours, the two figures seem to move towards the viewer, and the composition is given a certain flatness. (Musée d'Orsay, Paris)
License & Copyright
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Original image by Musée d'Orsay. Uploaded by Mark Cartwright, published on 11 March 2022. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Public Domain. This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
Related Images
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Portrait of Monsieur & Madame Auguste Manet by Manet
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Lunch in the Studio by Manet
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Nana by Manet
Cite This Work
APA Style
d'Orsay, M. (2022, March 11). Olympia by Manet. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15389/olympia-by-manet/
Chicago Style
d'Orsay, Musée. "Olympia by Manet." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 11, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15389/olympia-by-manet/.
MLA Style
d'Orsay, Musée. "Olympia by Manet." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 11 Mar 2022, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15389/olympia-by-manet/. Web. 30 Jun 2025.
