Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926), Luncheon on the Grass (central panel), 1865–66; Oil on canvas, 97 7/8 x 85 7/8 in. (248.7 x 218 cm); Musée d’Orsay, Paris; Acquired as a payment in kind, 1987

Advance notice of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring exhibition “Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity” provoked eye-rolling and cynical comments among my colleagues.1The title suggested a light-weight effort, designed to gladden the hearts of the marketing department by boosting attendance. Word of the show’s basic concept did little to offset the idea: Impressionist paintings paired with the actual clothing worn in those paintings? Clearly, we all said, this was more frivolous pandering to the hordes of fashionistas who packed the Met’s corridors as they waited to get into the Alexander McQueen exhibit. Rumors of what was described as an “over the top” installation at the Musée d’Orsay, where the exhibition was seen this past fall and winter, were not reassuring. (The show is jointly organized by the Musée d’Orsay, the Met, and the Art Institute of Chicago; first seen in Paris, it will go to Chicago after its New York showing.) But once “Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity” opened at the Met, responses changed dramatically and rapidly. Just about everyone who commented on the show noted, with surprise and pleasure, that the crowd-pleasing title was misleading. The exhibition turns out to be a serious inquiry, notably intelligent, informative, and visually stimulating. Yes, there are period garments throughout, but there is also an