Each October since its opening, TrowbridgeLewis Galleries has brought to Middleburg museum quality original art work by world recognized master artists - available for purchase. The show this year concentrated on French Impressionist painters both deceased and living and the star of this year's show was one of very few available original oil paintings by Pierre Auguste Renoir "Passage du Cagnes" painted in 1895. Other outstanding highlights were the original works of Jules Cheret who created vivid poster ads for the cabarets, music halls, and theatres such as the Follies Bergères, Theatre de l' Opera, and the Moulin Rouge. As his work became more popular and his large posters displaying modestly free-spirited females found a larger audience, critics began referring to him as the "Father of the Women's Liberation." Females had previously been depicted as prostitutes or puritans, and the Cheréts—as his women were popularly called—were neither. It was freeing for the women of Paris, and lead to a noticeably more open atmosphere in Paris where women were able to engage in formerly taboo activities, such as wearing low-cut bodices and smoking in public.

Other show highlights were an exceptional watercolor by the French artist, Jean Francois Raffaelli (1850-1924) and two landscapes by Eugene-Galien Laloue (1854-1941). This year's show also featured the return to Middleburg of Emmanuel and Alexandre Renoir the great grandsons of Pierre Auguste Renoir. Alexandre the first Renoir to paint since his great grandfather displayed his talent through both his original oil paintings on display and those he painted on the sidewalk in front of the gallery all weekend. He and Emmanuel also lectured on the "Luncheon of the Boating Party" his great grandfather's most famous work and the lithographic hand colored works Alexandre created as homage to his famous ancestor.

The show also featured the works of five members of the Pissarro family, including three original paintings by George-Henri "Manzana" (1871-1961) "Autoportrait" painted in 1958, his beautiful "Femme Nue de Dos" painted in 1925 and a small landscape "L'Annonciade". His brother Paulemile (1884-1972) was represented by four original pastels on paper. In addition we had the work of H. Claude, Paulemile's son; Claude's late wife Katia and his granddaughter Lelia the latest professional artist in the Pissarro family. We were also able to display original oil paintings by Florence Vesser Orval, H. Claude Pissarro's most famous student and a recognized master "pointillist" painter. In addition we displayed the work of Jean Vollet, a 72 year young French artist who is considered one of the finest "pointillist" painters alive today.

The work will be on display through October 28 at the gallery.