A pivotal figure in the Impressionist movement and a participant in every one of their exhibitions, Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) was considered the patriarch of the group. Having been born in the Danish West Indies, travelled in Venezuela, and studied with Corot in France, his influences were extremely varied. His style evolved as he progressed through life, influenced too by the dialogue which he cultivated with his elder colleagues as much as with those younger than he. Like Degas, Pissarro was a great draughtsman. His representations of rural and urban life are often closely intertwined with his social concerns and anarchist beliefs. The quintessential artist ahead of his time, he sold very few works during his lifetime.