| La Place des Pyramides, Paris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Giuseppe De Nittis |
| Year | 1875 |
| Type | Oil on canvas, landscape painting |
| Dimensions | 92.3 cm× 75 cm(36.3 in× 30 in) |
| Location | Musée d'Orsay, Paris |
La Place des Pyramides, Paris is an 1875 oil painting by the Italian artist Giuseppe De Nittis. [1] [2] A cityscape it features a view of the Place des Pyramides, a public square in Paris. De Nittis was part of the Impressionist movement, having recently arrived from Italy. Resented as a foreigner by some fellow artists, the choice of this landscape was consciously designed to evoke French patriotism. In the background a scaffold surrounds the remains of the Tuileries Palace that been burned down by the Communards in 1871. The rebuilding of the Pavillon de Marsan, combined with the recently erected statue of Joan of Arc, symbolises the renewal of the city and the natuion during the Third Republic. [3]
The painting was displayed at the Salon of 1876 in Paris. In 1878, at the time of the Exposition Universelle at which it was exhibited, the artist bought the painting back from its owner Adolphe Goupil in order to present it to the French nation. Today it is located in the city's Musée d'Orsay. [4]
