As a precursor to the Manet & Morisot docent tour at the Legion of Honor on January 13th, museum docent Richard Cutler will present an "Art Talk." This is the first major exhibition dedicated to the artistic exchange between French Impressionists Édouard Manet (1832–1883) and Berthe Morisot (1841–1895). Manet was the era’s great pioneer of modern painting, and Morisot, the only woman to exhibit under her own name in the original Impressionist group. Unfolding over a period of 15 years (1868–1883), this exhibition traces the evolution of a friendship between two groundbreaking artists. The story of their relationship has often been told through Manet’s early portraits of Morisot, with Morisot’s own work treated as an offshoot of Manet’s. Recent scholarship reveals that, by the final years of his life, Manet increasingly followed Morisot’s example - her choice of subjects and colors, and even her rapid, fluttering brushstrokes. Rich in new research, the exhibition recasts this celebrated artistic friendship - and, by extension, the story of modern art - in a fresh light. 

Richard joined the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Docent Program in 2018, after a 42-year career as an Emergency Physician with Kaiser Permanente. Beyond his clinical work, Richard served as a Director of the Permanente Medical Group, concentrating on specialty Access and Strategy. In this later role, he gave hundreds of lectures to physician groups on innovations in specialty care delivery.