Manet masterpieces send ticket sales soaring at Royal Academy The exhibition will also include two portraits of the artist Eva Gonzalès, a pupil of Manet's. Born in Paris in 1832, Manet was an early pioneer of Impressionism, whose friends included the painters Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. Famous for his Parisian cafe scenes, his career as an artist lasted less than three decades, cut short by his premature death in 1883 aged 51. Due to the surge in advance ticket sales for the Manet show, the gallery will stay open until 11pm on the first Friday and the first two Saturdays of the exhibition's 11-week run. A spokesman for the RA said that further late-night openings may also be added if ticket sales continue to rise. A number of extra tickets for the show will also be made available to buy in person at the Academy every day of the exhibition. Last year, the Academy's retrospective of David Hockney, the contemporary British artist, attracted more than 600,000 visitors, making it among the highest-selling exhibitions in the RA's history. Manet: Portraying Life is at the Royal Academy from January 26 until April 14