EDOUARD MANET was regarded in his time as the leader of the French Impressionists. He was one of the first to develop the technique of short, expressive brushstrokes and strong lighting, using his painting to portray the fashions and manners of his day in an outgoing, spontaneous way. This charming book reproduces 50 of his best-known works, including the famous Luncheon on the Grass, which created a major scandal when it was first shown, being regarded as indecent. It also shows Olympia, a painting of a modem nude which again created a scandal at the time both for its subject and style; and Bar at the Folies-Bergère, remarkable for its dazzling colour and rich textures.