Olympia is now celebrated as the first modernist painting. However it was not just Manet’s artistic innovation, but the presence of two identifiable women; one of the streets, and one of a newly emerging black working-class community, that made Olympia one of the most earth-shattering works ever to be created.

Listen to ArtMuse’s episode on Victorine Meurent and Laure; the two superstars of Olympia.

Victorine was not just an artist’s model, she was also a musician, and an established painter herself, who showed her work at the Salon six times.

Painted just 15 years after the abolition of territorial slavery, Laure represented a pioneering age of Paris, in which newly freed black members of society were becoming an integral part of the working class. 

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ArtMuse is produced by Kula Production Company.

Today’s episode was written by host Grace Anna.

There are accompanying images, resources and suggestions for further reading on the ArtMuse website and Instagram.