Delacroix and the Rise of Modern Art

EugèneDelacroix is “the source of all modern art’s depravity” says art critic Jonathan Jones.

Romantic painter Eugène Delacroix may have shocked the 19th century art world with his harem massacre scene Death of Sardanapalus, but many subsequent artists appreciated his swift brush strokes, swirling colours and taste for the exotic. His work served as a springboard to the avant-garde, including Cézanne and van Gogh.

Author, art historian and raconteur Patrick Bade tells the story of Delacroix as never told before. In time for the National Gallery show Delacroix and the Rise of Modern Art, opening February 2016, which will show works by Degas, Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Matisse, Monet, and Renoir, among others, all of whose work was influenced by Delacroix.