Renoir the Draftsman: the inaugural exhibition showcasing Renoir's drawings at the Musée d'Orsay

And what if Renoir had achieved more than just color? From March 17 to July 5, 2026, the Musée d'Orsay unveils Renoir Dessinateur, the first exhibition entirely devoted to his works on paper. A spotlight on the stroke of a master too long confined to his palette, through some one hundred drawings, sketches, studies and watercolors from around the world.

There's Renoir the painter, star of Impressionism, and then... there's Renoir the draughtsman. Less well known, but just as essential. From March 17 to July 5, 2026, the Musée d'Orsay sketches a new portrait of the French master with Renoir Dessinateur, the first exhibition entirely dedicated to his works on paper, in the Galerie Seine on the first floor.

For the first time, Renoir's pencil stroke is brought into the spotlight. Long confined to his reputation as a virtuoso of color, Renoir's line has been relegated to the background. Some have even dared to describe his drawing as mediocre - a big mistake! Theexhibition brings together some one hundred works from all over the world: nervous sketches, preparatory tracings, meticulous studies, pastel portraits, watercolors from life, projects for prints or illustrations... to dot the i's and cross the t's and emphasize the talent. A rare collection, often heterogeneous and small (Renoir is said to have destroyed many of his drawings), but revealing: the art of the line was, for him, as fundamental as that of the brushstroke.

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Drawing, the backbone of his work, runs from his first student drafts in the 1850s to the modern research of the 1910s. From the 1880s, when he distanced himself from Impressionism, he began to redraw the world: shapes, light, composition... everything passes through line. Renoir Dessinateur reveals these secret bridges between paper and canvas.

Renoir traces, sketches, pencils and superimposes. He studied his subjects to the bone, the better to sublimate them on canvas. Far from a casual throwaway, his drawings are the backdrops - sometimes the foundations - of his masterpieces. The many studies around Les Baigneuses or Maternité are proof of this. Even Berthe Morisot said: "[Renoir] is a first-rate draftsman; all these preparatory studies for a painting would be curious to show to the public, who generally imagine that Impressionists work with the greatest casualness". And yes, with Renoir, the unexpected is prepared for!

The tour reveals a total freedom in the art of handling the tools of the stroke: graphite, Conté pencil, pen, black or red ink, charcoal, watercolor, gouache, pastel... And then there's sanguine, his favorite since the 1880s for its suppleness, fleshy nuances and a nod to the 18th-century masters. In fact, at the beginning of the twentieth century, his drawings were fascinating: Bonnard confessed himself incapable of doing the same, and Picasso snapped up an exceptional sanguine for his collection.

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Coorganized with the Morgan Library & Museum, the exhibition delves into the work of an artist who never stopped drawing, exploring, or feeling. It also complements Renoir and Love by offering an behind-the-scenes look: the creative process, studies, research — all that comes before the final masterpieces. In essence, while the other exhibition highlights Renoir’s finished paintings, Renoir the Draftsman reveals the artist’s intimate process. We believe that it’s even better to start with this one: you’re likely to pay more attention to the sketches before concluding your visit with the stunning masterpieces in Renoir and Love.

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