Manet & Morisot: Legion of Honor Exhibition

French Impressionists Édouard Manet (1832–1883) and Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) lived and worked in Paris in the late 1800s. Manet is regarded as a pioneer of modern painting while Morisot was not only the female founding member the original Impressionist group, she was the only woman to exhibit there under her own name. 

The latest research has uncovered a new deeper understanding of the artistic relationship between Manet and Morisot during the fifteen-year period of 1868-1883. Not only were they colleagues, but they were also family as Morisot was married to Manet’s brother. Morisot’s early work was said to have been an “offshoot” of Manet’s work, with her acting at times as his muse and model. However, recent scholarship indicates that later in his life Manet followed the example of Morisot’s work in his choice of subjects and colors. Theirs was truly a model of mutual influence and respect that evolved over time.  

Sharon Walton has been a docent for the Fine Arts Museums since 1994. She received a B.A. with honors in Art from Ripon College in Wisconsin and an M.F.A. in theatre from the University of Minnesota. She began her career with the Mixed Blood Theatre Company of Minneapolis, where she was a member of the acting company, and later Associate Producer and director of several productions. Locally, she has directed plays for Word for Word, Exit Theatre, and the African American Shakespeare Company, in addition to directing productions for the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis. She has taught theatre workshops at the Climate Theatre in San Francisco and Cal State University Fresno.

Ms. Walton has served as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council. Currently, she is the Communications and Special Events Manager for the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center.

This month the JCCSF is featuring three connected presentations highlighting French art and music.  

Please join us on Thursday, 10/23 for a look at the French Jazz Scene by local jazz expert Dave Radhauer. 

And on Friday, 10/31, don’t miss a presentation on French Opera by the SF Opera Dramaturg Emeritus.  

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) are comprised of two iconic sites in San Francisco’s beautiful parks- the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and Legion of Honor Museum in Lincoln Park. As the largest public arts institution in the western United States, the Museums house a world-class collection of 151,000 artworks that span more than 5,000 years.   

The JCCSF and FAMSF have collaborated for over a decade, and we are grateful that FAMSF graciously shares the beauty and history of their collections with the community through inspiring educational docent talks.