HELENE BAILLY is the Parisian art gallery that showcases works from the Impressionist movement, featuring artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and Alfred Sisley.

Impressionism emerged in the 1860s, driven by young artists eager to break away from the rigid conventions of the Academy. Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro… all sought to capture the fleeting moment, the light, and the movement.

In 1874, after being rejected by official Salons, they organized their own exhibition in the studio of photographer Nadar. The critic Louis Leroy mockingly referred to their paintings as “impressions,” inspired by Monet’s Impression, Sunrise. Unintentionally, he gave the movement its name.

These artists painted outdoors, taking advantage of the invention of portable easels and paint tubes.

Their palette was bright, with pure colors often placed side by side without mixing. Their brushstrokes were quick and broken, capturing the transience of the moment.

They depicted modern subjects: landscapes, scenes of everyday life, gardens, and riverbanks along the Seine. They were inspired by changing light, seasons, and times of day.

Initially criticized, their work ultimately triumphed and forever changed the course of art history.