Exhibition
#MuseumBowl Installation
Édouard Manet, The Croquet Party
The Croquet Party (detail), 1871, Édouard Manet, (French, 1832-1883). Gift of Henry W. and Marion H. Bloch, 2015.13.11.
About
The Philadelphia Eagles are the 2025 Super Bowl Champions, after dominating the Kansas City Chiefs in a 40–22 win and avenging their 2023 loss. Go Birds! Due to a friendly side wager, the Eagles’ victory is also a win for the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Instead of lending a work of art to Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, as we did in 2023, we get to show their Manet masterpiece, The Croquet Party.
The Croquet Party depicts a leisurely scene in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where Manet recuperated following the siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War. At a beach club by the sea, Manet captured a croquet match between his friends and family. He returned to Boulogne-sur-Mer throughout his life, creating multiple works depicting the seaside resort and surrounding Normandy coast. The painting will hang alongside three other Manets inspired by Boulogne-sur-Mer from the PMA’s collection.
Curators
Jennifer Thompson, The Gloria and Jack Drosdick Curator of European Painting and Sculpture and Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection
Jessica Smith, Chief Curator
Sponsors
All exhibitions at the PMA are underwritten by the Annual Exhibition Fund.
Generous support is provided by Andrea Baldeck, M.D.; Julia and David Fleischner; Amy A. Fox and Daniel H. Wheeler; Mrs. Henry F. Harris; Robert Hayes; Mark W. Strong and Dana Strong.