The Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre Society in conjunction with the Vernon Public Art Gallery proudly present Manet: Portraying Life on Saturday, May 17^th at 1:00pm at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre. Manet: Portraying Life is the first of three film screenings showcasing the works of famous artists.

This film showcases the exhibition of the same name held by Royal Academy of Arts in London in 2013. Manet: Portraying Life also reveals exclusive behind-the-scenes moments of the exhibition’s preparation, which normally go unseen by the public.

Eagerly awaited by the Royal Academy of Arts, Manet: Portraying Life was the first ever retrospective exhibit devoted to the portraiture of Edouard Manet. Spanning this enigmatic and occasionally controversial artist’s entire career, Manet: Portraying Life, brings together works from across Europe, Asia and the United States.

Manet’s portraiture had never previously been explored in exhibition form. Through paintings of his family, friends and literary, political and artistic figures of the day, Manet gave life to his subjects and Parisian society. This exhibit consisted of more than 50 works, including portraits of his most frequent sitter, his wife Suzanne Leenhoff, and luminaries of the period including Antonin Proust, Émile Zola and Stéphane Mallarmé. These portraits, along with scenes from everyday life, reveal Manet’s forward-thinking, modern approach to portraiture.

Interwoven with a detailed and superbly crafted biography of Manet in 19th century Paris, host Tim Marlow and special guests examine the craft of this bold an influential artist. Experience Manet, the ‘father of modern art’, at the screening of Manet: Portraying Lifeon May 17^th at 1:00pm. Tickets for Manet: Portraying Life are $18 for adults, $13 for students, and are available through the Ticket Seller Box Office at 250-549-SHOW (7469).