The first comprehensive study of the life and public career of the art critic Philippe Burty (1830-1890). The critic is contextualized so that his thematic interests are carefully revealed in chapters that examine his contribution to the etching revival, Japonisme, his support of the early romantic masters (especially Delacroix), and his advocacy, from the beginning, of the Impressionists. Burty emerges as a passionate defender of modern ideas and a committed collector whose objects were often studied by artists such as Edgar Degas, Edmond de Goncourt or the printmaker Félix Bracquemond.

The Independent Critic: Philippe Burty and The Visual Arts of Mid-Nineteenth Century France, Bern & New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.