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The Spanish Singer

1860
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 810
This painting, which reflects the Parisian vogue for Spanish art and culture during the Second Empire, won Manet his first popular and critical success in his debut at the Salon of 1861. Though the picture was admired for its realistic detail, Manet did not disguise the fact that it was composed in a studio using a model and props. The left-handed singer holds a guitar strung for a right-handed player, and his fingering suggests that he was unfamiliar with the instrument. His outfit was fashioned from costumes that Manet kept on hand; several accessories reappear in paintings in this gallery.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Spanish Singer
  • Artist: Edouard Manet (French, Paris 1832–1883 Paris)
  • Date: 1860
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 58 x 45 in. (147.3 x 114.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of William Church Osborn, 1949
  • Object Number: 49.58.2
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

Audio

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6144. The Spanish Singer, Part 1

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Cat and Flowers, Edouard Manet French, Etching and aquatint; third (final) state; posthumous edition
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The Smoker (Le Fumeur), Edouard Manet French, Etching on blue laid paper, final state (II)
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Boy with Soap Bubbles, Edouard Manet French, Etching, lavis aquatint, and roulette on laid paper, second state of four
Boy with Soap Bubbles
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The Smoker (Le Fumeur), Edouard Manet French, Etching and drypoint on blue laid paper, only state
The Smoker (Le Fumeur)
Edouard Manet
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