| 1834 |
July 19: born in Paris, son of
Auguste de Gas, a banker.
|
| 1845 |
Attends Lycee Louis-le-Grand.
|
| 1847 |
Mother dies. Father takes him to
museums and fosters his gift for drawing.
|
| 1853 |
Studies law for a short time, then
enrolls in studio of Louis Lamothe, an ex-pupil of Ingres.
|
| 1855-56 |
Enrolls at Ecole des Beaux Arts,
Paris. Meets Fantin-Latour.
|
| 1856 |
Travels to Italy, staying in Rome,
Naples, and Florence.
|
| 1858 |
Visits Italy again and stays with
his uncle in Florence, where he makes first studies for the group portrait,
The Bellelli Family.
|
| 1860-65 |
Produces several history
paintings, including Spartan Boys
and Girls Exercising.
|
| 1868 |
Paints In the Orchestra Pit.
|
| 1870 |
Franco-Prussian War. Called up
and serves in an artillery unit in
a fortress near Paris.
|
| 1872 |
Begins to paint the ballet, visiting
rehearsal rooms of dancers.
|
| 1874 |
Takes part in organizing the first
Impressionist Exhibition, and
shows ten paintings.
|
| 1875-77 |
Paints Dancer Curtseying and
Cafe-concert at the Ambassadeurs.
|
| 1876 |
Paints Absinthe.
|
| 1877-90 |
Visits Spain. Works on etchings
with Mary Cassatt and Pissarro.
Paints racecourse scenes and
Miss Lala at the Circus (1879).
|
| 1881 |
Shows wax statuette of dancer at
sixth Impressionist Exhibition. Produces sculptures, lithographs,
monotypes and pastels.
|
| 1882 |
Produces paintings and pastels of
milliners and laundresses.
|
| 1885 |
Visits Le Havre and Dieppe and
meets Gauguin. Eyesight worsens. Experiments with
different media and concentrates on painting dancers and women
at their toilet.
|
| 1886 |
Eighth and last Impressionist
Exhibition. Shows pictures of women washing.
|
| 1893 |
Shows series of pastel landscapes.
Eyesight continues to deteriorate, and works only with great
difficulty.
|
| 1898-1912 |
Lives in seclusion, almost blind.
House in the rue Victor Masse is demolished in 1912 and he is
forced to move. His paintings are now fetching very high prices.
|
| 1917 |
September 27: dies at the age of
eighty-three.
|
