Manet's lamps

Winter 1880, Paris. At the end of his life, Édouard Manet begins work on his ultimate masterpiece: A Bar at the Folies Bergères. But one detail has puzzled him for over a century: why doesn't what's reflected in the mirror correspond to reality?

To shed light on this pictorial enigma, this documentary takes the form of a real investigation. Following the trajectory of two lamps mysteriously placed behind the waitress, the film takes us from Japan to the coal mines of northern Europe, to the electric nights of Paris.

Through these unexpected paths, a fascinating story unfolds: that of the arrival of electric light, which turned modern society upside down and transformed the way artists looked at things. A sensitive and captivating exploration of a founding painting of modern art.

Screening at Les Franciscaines, followed by a discussion with Nicolas Autheman, director of the documentary