Félix Bracquemond

During France’s Impressionist movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Félix Bracquemond took an interest in printmaking and pottery design—less fashionable mediums. A close friend of many impressionists including Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissaro, and his wife, Marie Bracquemond, he advocated for etching and engraving, eventually bringing greater popularity to the mediums among the most elite artists and art consumers. For example, he helped Manet perfect his printmaking skills as the artist began making etchings of his seminal work Olympia (1863) and convinced Pissaro, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Jean-François Millet, and Degas to take up printmaking. Bracquemond spurred similar renewed interest in ceramics after falling in love with Japanese engraved porcelain. By making exact copies of a particular set of dishes in 1867 and successfully presenting them at the Universal Exhibition of 1867, Bracquemond solidified appreciations of decorative arts and, most importantly, ignited Japonisme, the study of Japanese art and talent popularized by the French impressionists. Before he died, Bracquemond became well-known for his exceptional aesthetic taste and ability to directly influence Europe’s greatest artists.