The joy that permeates Renoir’s paintings emerged from the heart of a deeply complex man. Even his close friends and family members were baffled by the contradictions that defined him. In Renoir: An Intimate Biography, Barbara Ehrlich White, the world’s leading authority on the artist’s life and work, brings a lifetime of research to bear – challenging misconceptions around Renoir’s reputation to provide an unparalleled account of this great Impressionist artist, in both his own words and those of his friends.
Uniquely intimate, this biography is interspersed with over one thousand excerpts of letters by, to, and about Renoir – 452 of which come from previously unpublished letters. These firsthand accounts offer an extraordinary window into Renoir’s world, bringing us into direct contact with Renoir not only as a groundbreaking artist but as a devoted friend and father, too.
Uniquely intimate, this biography is interspersed with over one thousand excerpts of letters by, to, and about Renoir – 452 of which come from previously unpublished letters. These firsthand accounts offer an extraordinary window into Renoir’s world, bringing us into direct contact with Renoir not only as a groundbreaking artist but as a devoted friend and father, too.
Extent: 432 pp
Format: Paperback
Illustrations: 103
Publication date: 2026-03-12
Size: 19.8 x 12.9 cm
ISBN: 9780500292709
Format: Paperback
Illustrations: 103
Publication date: 2026-03-12
Size: 19.8 x 12.9 cm
ISBN: 9780500292709
Maps • Introduction • 1. 1841–77 • 2. 1878–84 • 3. 1885–93 • 4. 1894–1900 5. 1901–09 • 6. 1910–15 • 7. 1915–19 • Afterword; Appendix: Selected Renoir Paintings Worldwide; Acknowledgments; Selected Bibliography
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About the Author
Barbara Ehrlich White is Adjunct Professor Emerita of Art History, Tufts University, Massachusetts. Her Renoir: His Life, Art and Letters (Abrams, 1984) has sold over 125,000 copies. She is also the author of Impressionism in Perspective and Impressionists Side by Side. She was encouraged to write the biography of the artist by Renoir’s family, and her receipt of the prestigious French honour, the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, followed recommendation by the artist’s great-granddaughter, Sophie Renoir.