Mary Cassatt, 'The Fitting' 1890-91.
© National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. Bequest of Guy M. Drummond, Montréal, 1987-12-31.

Mary Cassatt: Prints

22 February - 7 May 2006
Room 1 Admission free

Sponsored by

Mary Cassatt was the only American painter to exhibit with the French Impressionists.

Born in 1845 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, she first travelled to Europe to study painting at the age of 21. Edgar Degas, who considered that she had 'infinite talent', invited her to exhibit with the Impressionists in 1877.

Two years later, Cassatt joined Degas and her fellow Impressionist Camille Pissarro in contributing to a journal of original prints. This marked the beginning of Cassatt's desire to make prints alongside her paintings. In 1890 a large display of Japanese art profoundly affected her, and she produced ten colour prints, described by Pissarro as 'rare and exquisite works'.

This exhibition included prints from all stages of Cassatt's career, all from the collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, amongst them one of the finest extant editions of the colour prints, given as part of the Drummond Bequest.

Back to Past Exhibitions