Musée d’Orsay · 1866
L'Origine du monde
Gustave Courbet
Courbet paints the body with the same unidealized realism he gave landscapes and labourers, refusing centuries of mythological softening.
Why it matters
Courbet paints the body with the same unidealized realism he gave landscapes and labourers, refusing centuries of mythological softening.
Look closer
Notice how tightly the canvas crops the frame — there is no story, setting or face to look away into.
Hidden from public view for over a century, it is now one of the most discussed paintings in the history of art.
Value context
ELYIO places this work in an indicative editorial context of €14–22 million.
The museum work is not for sale. This is ELYIO indicative context—not an appraisal, insurance value or offer.