La Toilette, 1890-1891, dry point et aquatint, © Courtesy Marc Rosen Fine Art and Adelson Galleries, New York

When you see Mary Cassatt‘s name in a museum you immediately think of mother and child portraits and impressionist paintings just not quite as amazing as Degas’ (her great friend) or Monet’. But at the private breakfast organized at Musée Jacquemart André by Teddy Tibi, founder of the art magazine Art Absolument,  I also discovered a fabulous dry point print maker (pointe sèche) and a modern woman who had no children of her own but loved painting them. 

Little girl in a blue armchair, ca 1877-1878, © National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. And Mrs. Paul Mellon

The most striking paintings of the show are obviously her portrait par Edgar Degas, the little girl in a blue armchair from the Mellon collection ant a lady having tea which belongs to the Metropolitan Museum. In the small an intimate rooms of Musée Jacquemart André, they come out wonderfully. But they are sort of expected for anyone who knows Mary Cassatt’s work.

Dans l’omnibus, 1890-1891, dry point print, © BnF

What I did not expect was in a small corridor in the back, a series of five etchings which remind us more of Toulouse Lautrec or even Foujita than of her usual mother and child theme. There she shows how modern she was and how the theme of liberated women mattered to her. They are a little jewel. Excellent also is the portrait of her brother Alexander Cassatt, President of the Pennsylvania railroad with his son Robert.

Alexander J. Cassatt and son Robert Kelso, 1884-1885, © Philadelphia Museum of Art

Then follow a series of water scenes with ducks and children, and more lovely mothers in the last room. A little overwhelming this mother theme. The museum itself is wonderful and if you have never been, it is a good example of a Paris mansion at the turn of the century where the Andrés collected paintings and furniture of the highest quality.

Musée Jacquemart André as seen from boulevard Haussmann

Musée Jacquemart André, 158 bd Haussmann, until July 23 and the restaurant open for lunch is very pretty!