Painter Édouard Manet goes on trial for painting a scandalous scene. Died more than a century ago

Controversial painting with a naked woman caused scandal in the 60s of the 19th century. Now, a real judge rules that it wasn’t that serious.

The painting “Lunch on the Grass” caused an uproar when it was presented by Édouard Manet in 1863. It was even rejected by the Academy of Fine Arts for showing a scandalous image of a naked woman at the time.

The work ended up being exhibited at the Salon des Refusés, a rival event created by Napoleon III that presented many of the works rejected by the official salon, recalls .

But its irreverence is what made this work one of Manet’s most iconic: Over the years, the painting’s defenders supplanted its detractors.

However, at the beginning of this month, the debate surrounding this work actually took on the form of a mock theatrical trial in the auditorium of the Musée d’Orsay.

Manet, who died in 1883, ended up being taken to court (a fictitious one, of course), to discuss the validity of his work. The trial was the brainchild of Sylvain Amic, former president of the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie.

But it was more real than it seems: Students from a debate club presented their arguments, in character, in front of a royal judge, with the support of three lawyersone of them acting as attorney.

“The idea of ​​a mock trial is both interesting and enriching, as it allows art and law — two worlds that at first glance seem opposite — to enter into dialogue,” he told Julie de Lassus Saint Génies, a lawyer specializing in intellectual property and a participant in the event.

“It is up to us to give it meaning according to our own priorities and interpretations.”said art historian Steven Z. Levine, who guarantees that the painting “remains precious because it gives us the opportunity to reflect on ourselves. We learn about ourselves by writing about the work of art.”