Anne Distel (born Anne Dayez on 19 February 1947) is a French honorary general curator of heritage at the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French ar ...

and specialist in

Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...

paintings. She curated notable exhibitions such as ''Large monographie Renoir'', ''Cézanne et Un ami Van Gogh: Le Docteur Gachet'', 'and 'Paul Signac (1863-1935) or The Mystery et l'éclat''.

Career

Anne Distel is professor of

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today, ...

Paris-Sorbonne University Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; french: Université Paris-Sorbonne, Paris IV) was a public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the Universit ...

. She is the author of numerous books on nineteenth-century paintings. She is particularly interested in

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Re ...

, and was the curator of the monographic exhibition of Renoir which was presented at the

Grand Palais The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées ( en, Great Palace of the Elysian Fields), commonly known as the Grand Palais ( English: Great Palace), is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th a ...

in Paris in 1985. She organised a lecture, "Renoir and the Woman of Paris", at The Frick Collection art museum in 2012. She authored (1993), a lavishly illustrated pocket book for the collection "

Découvertes Gallimard (, ; in United Kingdom: ''New Horizons'', in United States: ''Abrams Discoveries'') is an Collection (publishing), editorial collection of Book illustration, illustrated monographic books published by the Éditions Gallimard in Pocket edition, ...

", which has been translated into six languages, including English; and ''Renoir'', a 400-page book packaged in a

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

, published in English in 2010. During an interview with

Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003 it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by ...

, Distel observed that collectors—for example, Albert C. Barnes—played a very important role in Renoir's life, and were the cause of evolution of his style. Barnes built a

foundation Foundation may refer to: * Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization ** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S. ** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...

to house his eclectic

private collection A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...

in 1922. The foundation had a goal of education consistent with Barnes' very democratic ideas about the spread of culture. Distel was nominated Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2008.

Selected publications

* ''Impressionism: A Centenary Exhibition'', Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1974 * ''Impressionism: The First Collectors'', Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990 * ''Renoir : « Il faut embellir »'', collection «

» (nº 177), série Arts. Éditions Gallimard, 1993, new edition in 2009 ** UK edition – ''Renoir: A Sensuous Vision'', '

New Horizons ''New Horizons'' is an interplanetary space probe that was launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), with ...

' series. Thames & Hudson, 1995 ** US edition – ''Renoir: A Sensuous Vision'', "

Abrams Discoveries Abrams may refer to: * Abrams (surname), a list of notable people with the surname * ''Abrams v. United States'', 250 U.S. 616 (1919), U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war * M1 Abrams, main battle tank * Abrams, W ...

" series. Harry N. Abrams, 1995 * ''Gustave Caillebotte: Urban Impressionist'', Abbeville Press, 1995 * ''Signac, au temps d'harmonie'', collection « Découvertes Gallimard » (nº 404), série Arts. Éditions Gallimard, 2001 * ''Renoir'', Abbeville Press, 2010 ; In collaboration * With John House and

Lawrence Gowing Sir Lawrence Burnett Gowing (21 April 1918 – 5 February 1991) was an English artist, writer, curator and teacher. Initially recognised as a portrait and landscape painter, he quickly rose to prominence as an art educator, writer, and eventuall ...

, ''Renoir'' (Renoir Exhibition Catalogue), Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1985 * With Claire Frèches-Thory, Geniève Lacambre and Sylvie Gache-Patin, ''Musee d'Orsay: Impressionism and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces'', Thames & Hudson, 1993 * With Susan Alyson Stein, ''Cézanne to Van Gogh: The Collection of Doctor Gachet'', Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Distel, Anne 1947 births Living people French curators French art critics French women art critics University of Paris faculty Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres French women curators