This self-portrait by Gustave Courbet, known as "The Desperate Man" (circa 1844-1845), will be on display from Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. MUSÉE D’ORSAY
The Musée d'Orsay will be exhibiting "Le Désespéré," Gustave Courbet's famous self-portrait, which has not been shown to the French public for 17 years, starting Tuesday, October 14, Agence France-Presse (AFP) learned on Monday from the Parisian institution. Qatar has revealed itself as the owner of the painting, museum officials said.
"Le Désespéré" ("The Desperate Man") depicts Courbet with a wild-eyed stare looking out of the canvas in a work that is one of his best known alongside "The Stone Breakers" and "The Origin of the World." It was exhibited in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2010 in a show devoted to the painter and was last seen in France in a major retrospective in 2007-2008 that also travelled to New York.
At that time, the painting belonged to an art investment fund of French bank BNP Paribas, but has since been acquired by Qatar Museums, a state body responsible for developing the art scene in the oil-rich emirate.
The Musée d'Orsay, which owns around 30 Courbet paintings, will exhibit "The Desperate Man" from Tuesday for five years before it transfers to its long-term home in Doha, the museum told AFP.
