More so than any of his Impressionist contemporaries, Pierre-Auguste Renoir was committed to chronicling love and friendship. He understood that the emotion—whether seen on Parisian streetcorners or in sun-dappled woodlands—could be as fleeting and blinding as his other great and transitory subject, light.

Focusing on the artist’s career from the mid-1860s to the mid-1880s, this catalogue traces the evolution of how the artist depicted love, from affection, flirtation, and seduction to camaraderie and parenthood. Such themes are explored in tender and personal works as well as beguiling multi-figure compositions of urban and suburban sociability, including his trio of dancing couples that remain symbols of fin-de-siècle France. 

Published in tandem with a major international touring exhibition, Renoir in Love explores the artist’s ruminations on the subject through thematic essays, focused entries on key artworks, and vivid reproductions of works ranging from intimate sketches to intricate, full-length paintings.