1859

Camille Pissarro and Eduoard Monet attended the Academie Suisse in Quai des Orfevres. 

Paul Cezanne goes to Aix-en-Provence to study drawing.

1861

Renoir meets Alfred Sisley. 

Cezanne meets Pissarro at Academie Suisse. 

Edgar Degas meets Edouard Manet. 

1863

Manet organizes an exhibition of his own works at Louis Martinet`s gallery in the boulevard des Italiens.

Salon jury announces the selections that have been made. Although Corot and Renoir were chosen, all 3 Manet paintings were rejected.

1865

Manet, discouraged and angry destroys several of his works.

Bazille and Monet decide to share a studio.

1866

Camille Pissarro moves to Pontoise. He continued to live there for many years and painted hundreds oh works depicting the beauty of the area.

Camille Corot and his former pupil Pissarro have an argument and stop associating with each other.


1869

Salon accepts Manet,Pissarro,Renoir and Bazille. Monet and Cezanne are rejected. 

1870

Manet fights a sword duel with art critic Edmont Duranty after an argument. Duranty was wounded in the chest. But the 2 made up the next day. This incident is legendary in Montmartre area.

Renoir and Bazille are both enlisted to fight in the Franco Prussian war.

Alfred Sisley loses all financial support following his fathers death.

Cezanne moves to L'Estaque to avoid taking part in the war.

Pissarro moves to Brittany;Monet moves to London.

Fredric Bazille before the war : "As for myself, I'm sure not to get killed, I have too many things to do in this life." 
He is killed in action.

1872

A colector,Paul Durand-Ruel buys several paintings from Sisley, Degas and Monet.

1874

The First Impressionist Exhibition is held. 

The term "Impressionism" is used for the first time.

The Salon rejects Manet

1875

Manet attempts to illustrate Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem 'The Raven' and has it published. It was later described as: "a huge folio of lithographed sketches by a French idiot named Manet, who must be the greatest and most conceited ass who ever lived." 

1876

Manet is rejected at the Salon.

Van Gogh is expelled from Goupil's school.

1877

The third Impressionist Exhibition is held.

Renoir,Sisley and Pissarro organize a sale of their work but it is a failure.

1879

Emile Zola, a critic well aquainted with the Impressionist group writes an article lampooning their ability and creativity.

The Salon accepts Manet and Renoir. Cezanne and Sisley are rejected. 

Monet's wife suffers a painful death. Monet paints her during her last hours.

1880

La Vie moderne stages an exhibition of decorated ostrich eggs, including several painted by Manet, Pissarro and Renoir. 

The fifth Impressionist Exhibition is head. There are several disagreements;signs of a spilt in the Impressionist group. Cezanne, Monet, Renoir and Sisley refuse to participate. 

Monet exhibits at the Salon for the last time.Later the same year he organizes an exhibition of his works but not one is sold.

1881

Van Gogh moves to Etten. 

The sixth Impressionist exhibition is held.The discontent in the Impressionist group worsens. Many artists refuse to participate because of the sudden emphasis on Realism. Degas was a huge success at the exhibition. Some blamed him for the split in the group. He later resigns from the group.

The movement now suffers a major setback due to the internal disputes. 

1883

Several one-man exhibitions are held by artists such as Monet and Renoir.

Manet's leg is amputated due to problems arising from a circulatory disease. He dies the same day at the age of 51.

The first major Impressionist exhibition in America is held. The works of Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley are included but fail to attract any attention.

1884

An exhibition dedicated to Manet is held at Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

Monet manages to paint 5 paintings in one day.

An exhibiton is held by a new group of artists including over 400 works that were rejected by the Salon. There are disputes and fights break out forcing the Polic to intervene.

Gaugin moves to Copenhagen. 

1885

American Impressionists invite European artists to participate in an exhibition. They ar reluctant and seem to of the opinion that the American artists have poor taste.

1886

Van Gogh studies at the studio of academic painter Fernand Cormon.

The new "classical-style" Renoirs receive unfavorable reviews.

Cezanne gains an immense amount of money following his father's death.

1888

Collector Durand-Ruel opens a gallery in New York.

Pissarro suffers an eye infection that persists till the end of his life.

Renoir suffers athritis.

Renoir has an attack of facial paralysis. 

Following a hostile dispute with Gaugin in Arles, Van Gogh cuts off part of his ear and gifts it to a prostitute. Gaugin asks Theo van Gogh to come and tend his brother.

1889

Van Gogh is sent to an asylum near Arles.

The Centennial Exhibition of French art is held and includes works of Pissarro,Monet,Cezanne and Manet.

1890

A London Impressionist magazine "The Whirlwind" publishes it's first issue.

Vincent Van Gogh dies from a self-inflicted bullet wound. 

1891

Georges Seurat dies of an infection at the age of 32. 

An Impressionst Exhibition organized with the assistance of Durand Ruel opens in Boston.

1892

Manet's brother Eugene , husband of Berthe Morisot dies.

1894

Caillebotte dies at the age of 46. 

Pissarro exhibits nearly a 100 works at Durand-Ruel's gallery.

1895

Berthe Morisot dies of pneumonia at the age of 54. She bequeaths her paintings to Degas, Monet and Renoir. 

A large Monet exhibition is held at Durand-Ruel's gallery.

The American Art Association in New York holds a sale of works by Degas, Guillaumin, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley .

Degas becomes heavily interested in the art of photography.

1898

Durand-Ruel holds an exhibition of work by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley. 

Renoir sells 'The Dance Lesson', a Degas painting that he had bought. Renoir and Degas drift further apart.

1899

Sisley dies of cancer of the throat at his home in Moret-sur-Loing. 

An exhibition of the International Society of Artists at the New Gallery in London includes works by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Rodin. 

1900

Renoir receives The Legion of Honor,an award that Monet rejected years earlier.

1902

Major Art critic Zola dies.

Renoir discovers 2 forgeries of his own works amongst Durand-Ruel's collection.

1903

Pissarro dies at the age of 73.

Georges Viau,a dentist and an art collector is accused of being involved with the forgery of Renoir's works.

1906

Cezanne dies at age 67.

1917

Degas dies due to a stroke at the age of 83.

1919

Renoir is promoted to Commander of the Legion of Honour 

Renoir dies of pneumonia.

1921

Durand-Ruel is awarded Legion of honor.He died a year later.

1926

Mary Cassat dies at the age of 82.

Monet dies at the age of 86.