1.
One hundred and fifty years ago, when
Paris was at the center of the art world,
a group of painters used to gather every
evening at Café Guerbois, in the
neighborhood of Batignolles. The
ringleader of the group was Édouard
Manet. He was one of the oldest and
most established members of the group,
a handsome and gregarious man in his
early thirties who dressed in the height
of fashion and charmed all those around
him with his energy and humor. Manet’s
great friend was Edgar Degas. He was
among the few who could match wits
with Manet; the two shared a fiery spirit