The Wedding, Manet's Decline, and the Posthumous Fight Over Morisot's Legacy. Sebastian Smee discusses how in the aftermath of the "terrible year," Édouard Manet painted Berthe Morisot several times in a series Smee considers one of the greatest records of intimacy in art history. Manet resolved the situation by setting Berthe up with his brother, Eugène Manet, who proved to be a good husband who supported Berthe's dedication to painting. Despite Édouard advising against it, Berthe joined the first Impressionist exhibition, demonstrating her "incredible audacity and independence." The sad aspect was Édouard Manet's decline: he suffered from syphilis and died in agony after a leg amputation. Following Berthe Morisot's death (she contracted an illness while tending to her sick daughter, Julie), Renoir, Degas, and Monet came together to stage a posthumous exhibition to honor her. The process was volatile because each painter felt a fierce, private relationship with her work. In the 20th century, Morisot was often overlooked by male critics who dismissed her domestic subject matter, though her peers viewed her art as innovative and brilliant.