The "most arrogant man in France", a master of self-promotion and, above all: the most eminent exponent of realism - an extensive look at Gustave Courbet's oeuvre. Gustave Courbet boldly defied the idealizing conventions of 19th-century art. A spearhead of a socially committed type of painting, the artist also became known for his political involvement through his role in the 1871 Paris Commune. At the same time, in his portraits, landscapes and still lifes, the "dreamer" Courbet showed a quiet, contemplative world which appears in contrast to the rapid political and industrial changes of his time. With his self-confident demeanour, his insistence on artistic autonomy, and his revolutionary style of painting, he became a rebel of the art scene, from "L'Origine du monde" to his self-portraits up to the "Stone Breakers."