This year the museums of Paris and special exhibits were back on track after the interruption of the pandemic. Museums spend years or even a decade in preparation for exhibits that are dedicated to everyone from Leonard da Vinci to designer Thierry Mugler. When Covid hit, it was heartbreaking to see exhibits close to visitors and many never saw the light of day.
Whether you made it to Paris or not, I would love to share a few of my favorite exhibits this year.
The Musée d’Orsay always does a fantastic job with exhibits and 2022 saw quite a few dedicated to groundbreaking artists, Antoni Gaudi, Rosa Bonheur, Edvard Munch, and Maillol. This spring, I was thrilled to get a deeper view and learn more about Aristide Maillol. The Musée Maillol in the 7th holds two exhibits a year but doesn’t go too deep into the story of the artist himself. Born December 8, 1861, he arrived in Paris at 21 and enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1885. Dabbling in ceramics, embroidery, carved wood, and painting he really found his medium in stone and bronze.
If you have spent any time walking through the upper Jardin des Tuileries then you have seen the great work of the artist. In 1964, twenty years after his death his last model Dina Vierny, gave 18 bronze statues to the city that now dot the landscape. It was these statues that made me want to learn more about the artist and who his models were. The exhibit was laid out chronologically and featured his three muses. His wife Clotilde, Spanish maid Therese, and Dina. Maillot believed in the female form as he could add to it and create his own shapes and poses. A more rounded version of Rodin also set him apart from his predecessors.
I loved his paintings that were inspired by the Impressionists and also Whistler’s famous piece, Arraignment in Gray and Black better known as Whistler’s Mother. Maillot recreated his own version of his Tante Lucie, a beloved aunt that cared for him growing up. It’s hard not to see the influence of Monet in Femme à l’ombrelle.
Maillol died in 1944 just a month following the liberation of Paris in a car accident. Thankfully because of his last model Dina, we know who this incredibly versatile artist was. If you missed the exhibit walk through the Tuileries or visit the Musée Maillol.
The Musée Picasso Paris opened in 1985 and was built from the collection of the artist himself. Following his death in 1973, his heirs gave over 4,000 pieces to offset French inheritance taxes due to a law that had been put in place on December 31, 1968. The collection was so vast an entire museum could be created and is the largest of Picasso in the world.
Last year his daughter and only legitimate heir Maya Ruiz-Picasso gave 9 pieces to the State. The dation includes 6 paintings, 2 sculptures, and a sketchbook. Her mother, Marie Therese Walter met Picasso outside of Galerie Lafayette in 1927 and quickly began an affair. Maya was born on September 5, 1935, and spent much of her time growing up with her father who created games and drawings for her, many of which can be seen in the museum.
The current exhibit that closes this week on December 31 showcases the 9 pieces as well as the relationship Picasso had with his children which weren’t always great. The great artist and his first daughter remained close until after the end of the war and Picasso spent more time in the south of France with Francoise Gilot. The two were reunited in the summer of 1955 when she assisted her father with Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Mystere Picasso film. Shortly after filming the two rarely saw each other after she announced she was going to be married.
At the time of his death in 1973, he had very little contact with his four children. His second wife Jacqueline kept everyone away from the gates of the Chateau de Vauvenargues in the south of France. Refusing to do a will there was a long legal fight in France trying to obtain the rights of the children as 3 of the 4 were illegitimate.
A visit to the Musée Picasso is a must for all art lovers and if you have been before and think you can skip it, think again. The permanent collection is so vast that rooms are frequently changed out including the room dedicated to Picasso’s take on Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’Herb.
A few of my favorite things from the exhibit include the combination of Jusepe de Ribera’s Le Pied-Bot next to Picasso’s El Bobo painted in 1959.
The Portrait de Maya drawing was done on Christmas day 1943. Such a different style from what Picasso is normally known for, but it is such a sweet sketch of the nine-year-old little girl. Of all the pieces in the exhibit, the photos of father and daughter are the most interesting. The two Picasso in profile has a striking resemblance and strong family lineage. I really loved the photo taken in 1955 alongside the Tete de femme of Dora Maar that is now in the Square Laurent Prache in the shadows of Eglise Saint Germain des Prés.
Maya was on hand in September 2021 at the presentation of the new collection to the Minister of Culture and again at the opening of the exhibit on April 16 of this year. Sadly she recently passed away on 20 December at 87 years old. I suspect a flurry of new donations should be coming soon to the French State.
Of course, I had a list of over twelve exhibits to share but this is already long enough and this year I promise to share many of them as I see them, lastly I hope you were able to see the fantastic Musée du Luxembourg exhibit Pionnières that ran from March 2 to July 10. Focusing on women artists that came to study in Paris in the late 19th century and at the start of the 20th. At the time women were finally allowed to attend art classes and ateliers as well as dress how they wished.
A visit to this exhibit was like sitting down with an old friend for a glass of wine. Many of the artists have been featured on the podcast and a handful of others are on my list to explore a bit deeper so we can share their own amazing life with you.
I was happy to see two paintings by Jacqueline Marval on display and watch so many people taking photos of La Baigneuse au Maillot Noir 1923. Marval was born in 1866 near Grenoble and arrived in Paris in 1895. Living in Montparnasse she met Picasso, Matisse, and Flandrin all of which were attracted to her strong personality and artistic abilities. Less known outside of France, she is one to dig a bit deeper on. The Comité Jacqueline Marval that oversees her story and authentication is in the process of opening a new space in Paris that can be visited by appointment. Run by a dear friend and family I will be sure to share more and even take you all on a visit soon.
A few of the ladies mentioned and on display included Anne de Rochechouart Duchesse d’Uzes. Great granddaughter of Madame Cliquot was one of the first women to obtain a driver’s license and get a speeding ticket as well as creating the Automobile Club de Feminine de France in 1926 when women weren’t allowed in the men’s club.
Trailblazer and dancer Josephine Baker. Shakespeare and Company and publisher Sylvia Beach. Author and boundary pusher Colette. Artists Marie Laurencin, Suzanne Valadon, and Sonia Delauney and female artist champion and the first woman to own a gallery Berthe Weill.
Such a great year for exhibits in Paris and even more coming in 2023. Watch this space and better yet contact me to plan a fantastic trip to Paris to see all the best things and maximize your time.