Bullfight

1865–66

Manet’s trip to Spain in the fall of 1865 lasted about 10 days, though it had a profound impact on him. In a letter to his friend the poet Charles Baudelaire, he described a bullfight he attended in Madrid as “one of the finest, most curious and most terrifying sights to be seen.” He made quick sketches there that informed several later canvases, including this one.

Public domain · CC0
Free to download and reuse. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist

Édouard Manet (French, 1832–1883)

Date

1865–66

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

48 × 60.4 cm (18 7/8 × 23 3/4 in.); Framed: 72.4 × 84.5 × 9.3 cm (28 1/2 × 33 1/4 × 3 5/8 in.)

Origin

France

Collection

Art Institute of Chicago

Credit

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection