“Manet and Modern Beauty”

Unlike many of his contemporaries in the mid-1800s, French painter Édouard Manet prefered depicting contemporary subjects instead of historical figures and Biblical scenes. In “Manet and Modern Beauty,” the Art Institute collects his paintings of men and women decked out in fashionable attire, rendered with an eye for detail in his distinct impressionist style. The exhibition also includes some of of Manet's personal letters, as well as paintings of flowers and fruits (which, aside from stylish women, were among his favorite subjects).