Bal du Moulin de la Galette

Renoir painted the work largely on location at the Moulin de la Galette in Montmartre, where he rented a nearby studio. He carried the large canvas to the site and worked from live models — his friends and their social circle served as models for the crowd. The dappled light effect was studied from the actual play of sunlight through the acacia trees at the venue.

The painting was exhibited at the third Impressionist exhibition in 1877, where it received enthusiastic reviews. It was sold to collector Victor Choquet. In 1990, a private version (Renoir made a smaller replica for himself) sold at Sotheby's New York for $78.1 million — at the time the second highest price ever paid for a painting at auction.