Giovanni Boldini became one of the most important Italian portrait painters at the turn of the 20th century. He moved to Paris in 1871, and was considered one of the foremost painters of Montmartre. Influenced on his arrival in the French capital by the work of Meissioner and Fortuny, Boldini maintained a unique style throughout his life, based on his intuition of a moment and of movement, reflected in his swift brushstrokes, which never lost sight of the figure and expression of the subject.
Also included in the exhibition are pieces from some of the Spanish painters living in Paris at the time and whose works held a dialogue with those of Boldini. The influence of Mariano Fortuny and his 18th-century scenes on Boldini's paintings is but one of the many connections they shared, as well as a taste for genre painting, an interest in modern city daily life, and the enjoyment of landscapes. Between tradition and innovation, the 124 works selected for the exhibition convey the spirit of an age.