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He was the subject of several attacks by artists and critics due to his taste veering more to old art and academicism than contemporary art - he refused to acquire works by some already-acclaimed artists such as Camille Corot who he did not appreciate.
That appears to be a bit of a biased take. In point of fact, he was criticized because of his attacks on non-academic artists whom he opposed, in his words, because "they are people who do not wash and see themselves as superior to gentlemen". And yes, they probably did not wash all that much, since they were too busy painting in the middle of the Barbizon forest before the train line was installed. In any case, historical sources are not kind to Nieuwerkerke. He single-handedly stood in the way of artistic progress and attacked anyone who would dare challenge the artistic establishment. Not a nice guy, I'm afraid. Viriditas (talk) 00:05, 25 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]
