The art movement called Impressionism was not always as popular as it is today. When it first emerged in France in the last decades of the 19th century, critics reacted harshly, and few paintings were acquired by museums. This book, which accompanies a traveling exhibition, presents a fascinating look at how Impressionist works made their way into European museums -- who collected them, when, and why -- and why not.

Lavishly illustrated with an extraordinary selection of paintings, many seldom reproduced, Impressionism offers much new scholarly information as well as fresh anecdotes. Few nonexperts know that in 1894 the French government almost refused the first great gift of Impressionist paintings -- the Caillebotte bequest. The pivotal role played by dealer Paul Durand-Ruel is explained by his great-granddaughter, Caroline Durand-Ruel Godfroy, using previously unpublished information. The history of Impressionism's struggle for acceptance will fascinate art lovers.