Gustave CaillebotteFrench, 1848–1894Boating Party
May one see it?
Unknown: the museum keeps its counsel
Musée d'Orsay
Paris, France
The owner is known. Whether it is on view today, the museum does not say, and we were not trained to guess.
- In this state since
- Sep 29, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
Boating Party (French: Partie de bateau), also known as The Boating Party (French: La Partie de bateau) or Oarsman In A Top Hat (French: Canotier au chapeau haut de forme), is an oil painting by the French painter Gustave Caillebotte. The painting is from a period in Caillebotte's career when he was producing water-related works due to his extensive boat collection, his enjoyment of rowing, making use of his family's summer home which was close to the Yerres River. The work is noted for its close-up action perspective, which is regarded as unusual for large paintings. Caillebotte first showed the work in the Fourth Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1879.
Read on
The painting remained in the artist's collection until his death. It remained in Caillebotte's family for the next 128 years, beginning with his brother Martial Caillebotte and passing to Martial's descendants. The work was finally acquired by the Musée d'Orsay in Paris in 2022 and unveiled in 2023. The acquisition was featured in the French Republic's nationwide celebration of the 150th anniversary of Impressionism and was part of both a nationwide and an international exhibition tour which marked the 130th anniversary of Caillebotte's death in 2024. The painting is considered a national treasure of France.
Particulars
- Accession number
- RF MO P 2022 5
Sources
- Wikidata · fetched 3 days ago
- Image: Musée d'Orsay — Gustave Caillebotte · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Meanwhile, in the life of Gustave Caillebotte
The whole life1876
His younger brother René dies
In 1876 René (1851–1876), Gustave’s younger brother, died; in some of his early works Caillebotte had used his mother and brothers as models.
1876
A debut at the Second Impressionist Exhibition
In 1876 Caillebotte made his debut at the Second Impressionist Exhibition with eight paintings, including “The Floor Scrapers” (1875), his earliest masterpiece.
c. 1876 – 1878
Writes his will before the age of thirty
Convinced after René’s death that his own life would be short, Caillebotte wrote his will while still in his twenties, bequeathing a large collection to the French government.
1877
Takes charge of the Third Impressionist Exhibition
By the Third Impressionist Exhibition in 1877 Caillebotte had assumed the leadership role: he secured rental space, selected artists and works and hung the paintings. His involvement eventually declined, but in the end he showed works in five of the eight Impressionist exhibitions.
after 1878
Living with his brother Martial: photographs after his paintings
After their parents’ deaths Gustave lived for a long time with his brother Martial, first in Paris and then in Gennevilliers, where they bought an estate; the brothers shared an interest in faience collecting, philately and sailing, and Martial, a composer and photographer, often reproduced the compositions of his brother’s paintings in his photographs.
1879
The Fourth Impressionist Exhibition: 35 works on water and leisure
In 1879 Caillebotte submitted 35 paintings and pastels on water sports, boating and riverside leisure; “Oarsman in a Top Hat” (Boating Party) was considered one of the best of them, and the show is described as the most important exhibition of his works during his lifetime.
