Which artist's painting 'Olympia' caused a scandal at the 1865 Salon?

Which artist’s painting Olympia caused a scandal at the 1865 Salon? Édouard Manet painted it.

Manet’s Olympia was painted in 1863 and exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1865. It presents a nude woman, modeled by Victorine Meurent, reclining on a bed while a Black maid brings her flowers. The direct gaze of the central figure made the scene feel confrontational rather than passive.

Viewers recognized clues that identified Olympia as a courtesan or prostitute, including her name, jewelry, orchid, slippers, and black cat. Academic audiences were accustomed to idealized nudes presented as mythological goddesses; Manet instead placed a contemporary Parisian woman at the center of a monumental canvas.

The composition also engages with older art, especially Titian’s Venus of Urbino, but deliberately overturns its symbolism and polish. Critics condemned Olympia as immoral and vulgar, and the public reaction was so hostile that the painting required protection. Manet is often called an Impressionist influence, but he did not exhibit with the Impressionist group.