A French painter who was one of the first 19th century artists to paint modern life, and a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism.

Born into an upper-class household with strong political connections, he rejected the future originally envisaged for him and became engrossed in the world of painting. He studied under the academic painter Thomas Couture in the 1850s and in his spare time copied the old masters in the Louvre. From 1853 to 1856, he visited Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, during which time he was influenced by Hals, Velázquez and Goya. Initially he adopted the the current style of Realism initiated by Courbet.

His early masterworks, Le déjeuner sur l'herbe and Olympia, both 1863, caused great controversy and served as rallying points for the young painters such as Cézanne, Monet, Pissarro and Sisley who would create Impressionism. Today, these are considered watershed paintings that mark the genesis of modern art, although they were rejected by the Paris Salon at the time. Although Manet then became friends with the new Impressionists, and his own work influenced and anticipated the Impressionist style, he resisted involvement in Impressionist exhibitions.