Imagine this: Being close enough to listen in as two luminaries of French art meet over a café table to discuss the alchemy of light and color. You may not be able to transport yourself back to the 19^th century, but you can come close this autumn when The Metropolitan Museum of Art rolls out Manet/Degas.

The two artists were both friends and rivals, who separately and together exerted a colossal influence on the evolution of modernist painting in France. On view  Sept. 24–Jan. 7, 2024, the exhibition functions as a sort of conversation between the artists through a display of about 160 paintings and works on paper, including several masterpieces seldom seen by the public.

“While little written correspondence between Manet and Degas survives, their artistic output speaks volumes about how these major artists defined themselves with and against each other,” said Stephan Wolohojian, exhibition co-curator, The Met, and John Pope-Hennessy curator, Department of European Paintings. “This expansive dossier exhibition is a unique chance to assess their fascinating relationship through a dialogue between their work.”

Organized jointly by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Musées d’Orsay et de l’Orangerie, Paris, the exhibition can be viewed at The Met’s Tisch Galleries, Gallery 899, Floor 2.