Bal du moulin de la Galette

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Renoir's great Montmartre dance scene, painted largely outdoors and carried daily between studio and garden.

History

What the record shows

Friends reportedly helped move the large canvas to the site each morning so Renoir could work in natural light.

Its dappled surface has proved sensitive to varnish changes; conservation now favours minimal intervention.

Provenance

Leonardo da Vinci

Vincent van Gogh

Johannes Vermeer