He Is Considered An Anti-semite

The Dreyfus Affair was a huge scandal in France that divided the country into pro-Republican Dreyfusards and anti-Dreyfusards who supported the army. The erroneous treason conviction of Alfred Dreyfus, a French artillery officer of Jewish heritage, was the catalyst. Renoir sided with the anti-Dreyfusards in the aftermath of the incident, which caused a schism among the Impressionists. Another reason why many people believe Renoir is anti-Semitic is that Julie Manet clearly mentions multiple incidents in which he talked about Jews in her notebook. He claimed, among other things, that Jews "come to France to earn money, but if there is any fighting to be done, they hide behind a tree," and that "since they keep getting kicked out of all countries, there must be a solid reason."

Barbara Ehrlich White claims in her book "Renoir: An Intimate Biography" that he uttered the words in the company of anti-Semites. She cites evidence to the contrary, such as his presence at the funeral of the Jewish artist Pissarro, his connection with his Jewish sister-in-law, and his frequent exhibitions with Jewish dealers.