Why it matters
Renoir captures a Sunday afternoon at the Moulin de la Galette in Montmartre, where working-class Parisians danced, drank and ate galettes into the evening. With its sun-dappled light and fluid brushwork, it is one of Impressionism's most celebrated snapshots of modern life.
Did you know?
- It belonged to the painter Gustave Caillebotte, and came to the French state after his death.
- A smaller version sold in 1990 for US$78 million, then one of the two most expensive artworks ever sold.
- It moved from the Louvre to the Musée d'Orsay in 1986.
Based on the Wikipedia article Bal du moulin de la Galette (CC BY-SA 4.0).
