Gustave CaillebotteFrench, 1848–1894Paris Street; Rainy Day
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
Art Institute of Chicago
Room201Chicago, United States
On public display.
- Checked
- 4 hours ago
- In this state since
- Aug 16, 2026
- Source
- The museum's own collection data
About the painting
Paris Street; Rainy Day (French: Rue de Paris, temps de pluie) is a large 1877 oil painting by the French artist Gustave Caillebotte, now at the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The work shows a Parisian street scene of pedestrians in rainy weather crossing a boulevard intersection in the present-day Place de Dublin, a square in the eighth arrondissement. It is the best known of Caillebotte's several cityscapes linked to Paris's reconstruction under Napoleon III and Georges-Eugène Haussmann in the mid-19th century. Paris Street exemplifies the artist's views on modernity.
Read on
Caillebotte made a number of preliminary sketches in graphite and oil. The composition shows 24 mostly bourgeois pedestrians, dominated by a foreground couple with an umbrella, who are staring outside of the viewer's field of vision. The painting takes the form of a photorealistic cityscape, departing from the typical style of Impressionist art, representative of a Paris that appears austere and hostile to human interaction. Caillebotte employed several visual techniques to create the illusion of three-dimensional space, such as linear two-point perspective and colour effects.
Paris Street was first shown in April 1877 at the Third Impressionist Exhibition in Paris, where it was widely praised for its photorealism and precision. It was not displayed publicly again until a posthumous retrospective exhibition in 1894. Caillebotte bequeathed the work to his youngest brother Martial, and it remained in obscurity, in the family's possession, before being sold to art collectors in the mid-20th century. The Art Institute of Chicago's acquisition in 1964 accelerated a revival of Caillebotte's art, increasing his reputation as an artist in the public eye.
Particulars
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago: the museum's own open data · fetched 4 days ago
- Image: Wikimedia Commons — Public domain (PD-Art)
Meanwhile, in the life of Gustave Caillebotte
The whole life1875
Buys his first Monet: the start of his support for friends
Caillebotte bought his first Monet in 1875 and was especially helpful to that artist, buying works and, at least in the case of Monet, paying the rent for his studio. He also helped fund Impressionist exhibitions.
1875
The Salon of 1875 rejects “The Floor Scrapers”
Some critics considered “vulgar” the picture of labourers preparing a wooden floor, believed to be that of the artist’s own studio, which is probably why the Salon of 1875 rejected it. At the time the art establishment deemed only rustic peasants or farmers acceptable subjects from the working class.
1876
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.
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.
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.
