Mary Cassatt

Mary Cassatt was a leading American artist associated with Impressionism, who worked across painting, drawing and printmaking. Her artworks valued everyday moments, with her intimate portrayals of women often depicting them at leisure or within domestic routine.

Born in 1844 in Pennsylvania, Cassatt showed early artistic promise and began her formal training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She travelled to Europe in 1866 to study with leading academic painter Jean-Léon Gérôme, and Cassatt absorbed herself in the work of Old Masters.

In 1868, the artist’s painting The Mandolin Player was accepted at the Paris Salon, where Edgar Degas saw her work. He later invited her to exhibit with the Impressionists — who were considered radical for their use of vibrant colour, distinct brushstrokes and challenge of traditional techniques. Cassatt became one of the few women — and the only American — to be officially associated with the group, and she went on to exhibit in four of the group’s eight exhibitions from 1879–1886.

Cassatt's association with the group shaped her artistic style, as she developed a focus on light and intimacy, and her interest grew in depicting contemporary life. Alongside this, Cassatt also developed her own distant visual language rooted in strong draftsmanship and a sensitivity to gesture and expression. Works such as The Child’s Bath (1893) and On a Balcony (c.1878) showcased her interest in painting the domestic sphere, with a particular focus on women and children. One such piece depicting motherhood — Children Playing with a Dog (1907) — was sold by Christie’s for US$4.8 million in 2018.

Alongside the Impressionists, Cassatt was also influenced by the Japanese masters after an exhibition of their work came to Paris in 1890. Her following colour prints such as Woman Bathing (1890–1891) and The Coiffure (1890–1891) took inspiration from Japanese woodblock prints through their use of colour, composition and shape.

Though Cassatt spent most of her life in Europe, she advised American collectors on significant acquisitions that helped introduce Impressionist and Post–Impressionist works to an American audience. Her own artwork was also widely exhibited during her lifetime, and she achieved a level of professional recognition that was rare for women artists of her generation. Of her work, Cassatt once said: ‘I have touched with a sense of art some people — they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to that joy for an artist?’