Musée d’Orsay · 1883
Dance in the Country
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Renoir painted this joyful, sun-warmed couple as the country half of a matched pair with Dance in the City — here the woman is Aline Charigot, who would soon become Renoir's own wife, dancing with his friend Paul Lhote at an open-air party.
Why it matters
Renoir painted this joyful, sun-warmed couple as the country half of a matched pair with Dance in the City — here the woman is Aline Charigot, who would soon become Renoir's own wife, dancing with his friend Paul Lhote at an open-air party.
Look closer
Compare the loose, warm brushwork here with the cooler, more polished handling of the city version — the woman's flushed cheeks and relaxed, laughing pose set an entirely different mood from her formal counterpart.
This is one of the few times Renoir painted his future wife before their relationship was public — Aline appears here simply as "a dancer," years before she became Madame Renoir.
Value context
ELYIO places this work in an indicative editorial context of €15–35 million.
The museum work is not for sale. This is ELYIO indicative context—not an appraisal, insurance value or offer.