Manet's stark approach to his subjects helped to establish him as one of the forefathers of modern art, and nowhere is his groundbreaking style more apparent than in his portraiture. The RA's winter blockbuster, featuring paintings of friends and family alongside contemporaries such as Monet and Morisot which are at once harsh and intimate, is filled with major pieces on loan from institutions in Europe and America.
See our preview of the show here: www.timeout.com/london/art/manet-portraying-life-at-royal-academy