Unreliable Evidence Exhibition: The Execution Of Maximilian

As part of its commitment to supporting regional galleries, the National Gallery is taking one of the Collection’s most-loved works on tour in 2014 as part of the three-year Masterpiece Tour.

The Execution of Maximilian by Edouard Manet depicts the last moments of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian after he was captured by Mexican forces and executed alongside two of his generals in 1867. After Manet’s death the painting was cut into smaller fragments, some of which were sold separately. Edgar Degas eventually purchased all of the surviving fragments and reassembled them on a single canvas. It has been part of the National Gallery Collection since 1918.