Parties and Celebrations

For centuries, art has been used to commemorate special events, such as coronations, important battles, and royal weddings. However, it was only in the 19th century that Impressionist artists like Pierre-Auguste Renoir brought parties and celebrations of everyday people to the forefront, depicting the leisure activities of a new middle class. Ever since, artists have used multiple media to document religious, personal, political, and social festivities pulled from a broad spectrum of society. For example, Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party famously reimagined the Last Supper (probably the most reproduced party in art history) as a get-together of women undervalued in history as a way to highlight and celebrate their accomplishments.