We noticed a few months back that Paris was hosting an impressive exhibition, “The Morozov Collection. Icons of Modern Art.” It seemed the perfect excuse to get back to Paris. We decided to go the second week of December, which also gave us the opportunity to experience the City of Lights dressed up for the holidays, together with the Christmas markets. It turned out that there were a few other special art exhibitions going on as well.
Jeff was a bit hesitant about planning to see four art exhibits in four days, plus a return to the Atelier des Lumieres immersive art show. In the end we did five art exhibits in five days (plus the immersive show) thanks to a local train strike that meant an extra night in Paris. All in all, it was a terrific opportunity to enjoy some of our favorite artists.
First up was a trip out to the Foundation Louis Vuitton to see the Morozov Collection. The Morozov brothers were two Moscow art collectors who assembled a huge collection of French and Russian modern art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
This show was impressive for many reasons. First, it took over the entire building’s galleries and included 200 pieces. It wasn’t just the number of pieces, but also the quality of works displayed. There was an entire room of Cezanne paintings, another room for Matisse works, plus multiple pieces by Picasso, Monet, Rodin, Gauguin, and Van Gogh, to name just a few. Second, the collection’s history was fascinating because it was seized by the Russian government after the 1917 revolution and now sits in various state museums, including the Hermitage. It was fortunate to have survived Stalinist policies and WWII. Third, the political machinations and collaboration among museums that went into having all of these works displayed outside of Russia for the first time was remarkable. Finally, the personal story of the two brothers and their passion for art as told through the collection was fascinating.
As a bonus, the Foundation Louis Vuitton is a Frank Gehry designed building that is a work of art in and of itself and we enjoyed the features of the building, especially the rooftop terraces, as much as the art.
Our next museum stop was a return visit to the Musee d’Orsay to see “Signac the Collector.” Paul Signac was a lesser-known Neo-Impressionist artist who traded his own works for and bought numerous pieces by his contemporaries who happened to be some of the most famous painters of the late 19th century, e.g., Seurat, Van Gogh and Matisse. The records he kept of each acquisition allowed the exhibit to create a very personal story of his passion as a collector and friendship with the artists.
Next, the Picasso and Rodin museums had teamed up for a joint exhibit of the artists’ works showing how they worked with similar themes, materials, and had related influences. Both artists were so prolific that there were sufficient parallel works to display at both museums! So, while we debated whether we should go to one or the other, we went to both, which was the right choice. While I don’t believe in taking pictures of art (why do people do this??), I made an exception for the opportunity to photograph Picasso’s and Rodin’s “The Kiss” sitting next to each other.
Our final museum visit was not planned, but with the extra day in Paris, we went to the small Musee Jaquemart Andre to see “Botticelli, Artist & Designer,” an exhibition of some 40 works by the Florentine master in a 19th century palatial building known for its own collection of 15th to 18th century art. Botticelli’s Renaissance style was quite a contrast to the modern art we had witnessed the previous four days.
When all was said and done, we enjoyed “overdosing” on art in Paris. While we won’t necessarily repeat the 5 art museums in 5 days experience anytime soon, we now know it can be done.
Ciao,
Shana & Jeff
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