The 19th century in France witnessed the emergence of the structures of
the modern art market that remain until this day. This book examines the
relationship between the avant-garde Barbizon landscape painter,
Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867), and this market, exploring the
constellation of patrons, art dealers and critics who surrounded the
artist. It argues for the pioneering role of Rousseau, his patrons and
his public in the origins of the modern art market, and, in so doing,
shifts attention away from the more traditional focus on the novel
careers of the Impressionists and their supporters. Drawing on extensive
archival research, the book provides new insight into the role of the
modern artist as professional. It provides a new understanding of the
complex iconographical and formal choices within Rousseau's work,
rediscovering the original radical charge that once surrounded the
artist's work and led to extensive and peculiarly modern tensions with
the market place.