In Paris, Giverny, Strasbourg, Tourcoing, Clermont-Ferrand… exhibitions not to be missed!
To mark the 150th anniversary of the Impressionist movement, dozens of events and exhibitions are being organized across France, with the Musée d'Orsay in Paris as their epicenter, where it all began.
In Paris, the genesis of the Impressionist movement
THE KEY IS REMOVED, light.
On the paintings, scenes of daily life tell the story of France at the end of the 19th century: a dance hall, a field of poppies, a bustling shopping street or a bustling station concourse. To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Impressionism, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris is looking back at the beginnings of the movement in a rich and captivating exhibition.
Today, the whole world recognizes the influence of the movement in the history of art. Under the Third Republic, however, emancipating oneself from traditional artistic standards was not easy. The jury of the Palais de l’Industrie et des Beaux-Arts gives the “the”: religious and mythological reproductions are carefully selected to enter the Salons. Tired of these conventions and driven by a great thirst for freedom, a group of painters decided to found a cooperative limited company. Around Edgar Degas, they united their savings and opened, on April 15, 1874, what would later be defined as the first impressionist exhibition.
A touch that speaks to everyone
In the former studio of photographer Nadar, in the heart of Belle Époque Paris, two hundred eclectic works are brought together. “Painting scenes from modern life then appears radical, subversive,” observes Anne Robins, curator of the exhibition. Part of the criticism also mocks the technique of paintings which offers an “impression” rather than “reality itself”. The touch captures the nuances of light, instills movement, a reflection… Painters focus on translating what they feel rather than representing what they see. A bias that still resonates with our times: “Unlike classic works requiring analytical keys, it is easy to appropriate the scenes of impressionist paintings. And the sensations transmitted thanks to this outlined effect touch us, whatever our culture,” continues the specialist.
Thanks to the 178 paintings loaned by the Musée d'Orsay, thirty-four exhibition venues throughout France are participating in celebrating this heritage. At the Besançon Museum of Fine Arts (Doubs), one of the three fragments of the
Luncheon on the Grass by Claude Monet already delights the eye of visitors, while at the Ingres-Bourdelle Museum in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne), the sunflowers of the painting The suns, Petit Gennevilliers garden , by Gustave Caillebotte, announce the imminent arrival of summer. Laurence Madeline, director of the Besançon museums, relishes: “This loan, like this anniversary, brings us enormous joy. »
IN STRASBOURG (Bas-Rhin)
Paintings by Monet, Kandinsky, Sisley and Signac show in “Sensations and Impressions” how Impressionism and Post-Impressionism worked to construct modernity.
Until December 15, at the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Rens. : 03 68 98 50 00 or muees.strasbourg.eu
IN CLERMONT-FERRAND (Puy-de-Dôme)
The exhibition focuses on snow, a theme illustrated by works by Daubigny, Bonnard, Luce and Lebourg with, as the star, The magpie by Claude Monet.
Until June 30, at the Roger-Quilliot Art Museum. Rens. : 04 43 76 25 25 or clermontmetropole.eu
IN TOURCOING (North)
58 masterpieces by Monet, Sisley, Renoir, Pissarro, Cézanne, Caillebotte, Signac, Gauguin and Bonnard around the theme “Painting nature”.
Until June 24, at MUba Eugène-Leroy. Rens. : 03 20 28 91 60 or muba-tourcoing.fr
AND BY BICYCLE
From Paris to Honfleur, six stages of “The Seine by bike” invite you to cycle in the footsteps of the great masters, in the territories which saw the birth and growth of Impressionism, and to discover the events linked to the event. Rens. : laseineavelo.fr
