Mary Cassatt - American Impressionist Artist

Artist Mary Cassatt was born on May 22, 1844 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania; she was one of seven children. Her father was a successful stockbroker and her mother came from a banking family.

She began studying art at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts at the age of 15; her parents were not happy about it but let her attend. She became a little disenchanted by what she was studying so she began studying the old masters on her own.

Mary moved to Paris in 1866 and studied privately with a number of artists including Jena-Leon Gerome. She returned briefly to the US in 1870. In 1871, she moved back to France and the next year made her first sale with her painting Two Women Throwing Flowers During Carnival. She later travelled to Spain.

Mary became friends with Edgar Degas around 1877; he invited her to display her works with the other Impressionist artists in various exhibitions.

Mary never married; she believed that marrying would have interfered with her art. She was supported financially by her parents but her father insisted she also sell paintings to help support herself.

In 1904, Mary Cassatt was awarded the French Legion of Honor for her contribution to the arts. By 1914, Mary was practically blind due to cataracts and had to stop painting.

Mary Cassatt died on June 14, 1926 in France.

A lot of Mary Cassatt's paintings featured mothers and children; that is what she seems to be best-known for today.Her painting remains popular today and a lot of her paintings are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Her artwork regularly appears on greeting cards, notebooks, and calendars.