150 years of Chloe: Unveiling the Woman Behind the Painting

Exactly 150 years ago Jules Lefebvre’s oil painting, Chloe, debuted at the Paris Salon (May 1, 1875). It is one of Melbourne’s most iconic paintings and has graced Young and Jackson Hotel in Flinders St since 1909. Chloe was first exhibited in Melbourne at the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition and received top honours. Its subsequent showing at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1883 lasted only three weeks before it was removed from display as it was enmeshed in controversy due to its full-length depiction of a female nude, at a time when such subject matter was considered shocking and immodest. Much mystery surrounds the identity of the model who posed for Lefebvre. Katrina Kell, author of Chloe, Revolution, Art and Intrigue in Bohemian Paris, re-imagines history bringing together revolutionary Paris and the cultural and artistic scene of early twentieth century Melbourne to unearth the identity of just who Chloe is and her connection to the Melbourne Athenaeum Gallery.