Gustave Caillebotte at the Brooklyn Museum.
The Chicago Art Institute has a fine collection of Impressionist paintings, including works by Manet, Monet, and Renoir. Ironically, one of the most frequently reproduced images is by one of the least known artists: Gustave Caillebotte. His "Paris Street, Rainy Day" appears on everything from umbrellas to note pads.
Caillebotte is emerging from relative obscurity thanks to the Brooklyn Museum, which is exhibiting 40 of his paintings until July 5, 2009. The first major New York showing of his work in over 30 years, the exhibition includes river scenes, seascapes, and portraits, in addition to scenes of Paris.
A large inheritance enabled Caillebotte to become an avid patron of the arts, and he purchased paintings by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, and Pisarro. At the time of his death, there were 68 paintings in his estate. Forty of his paintings are owned by the Musee d'Orsay.
More interested in realism than the other Impressionists, Caillebotte used perspective and interesting points of view to create drama.
If you're a fan of Impressionism, take the time to get to know this unsung painter a little better. For more information about the show, visit http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/caillebotte