Polly and I missed each other last month, as we were both on vacances. We were anxious to see each other and Polly suggested the Rouault exhibit since her out of town guest wanted to see it.
The story of Rouault and how the exhibition came about was much more fascinating than the work itself. Georges Rouault was born in Belleville in 1871 and though he worked during the time of many art movements, his work couldn’t be categorized in any of them. He was most influenced by Gustave Moreau, a pre-Raphaelite symbolist painter, who was his mentor. After Moreau died in 1896, he became the curator of his museum, his former home and studio. Another big influence and close friend was Matisse. The exhibit is subtitled the Masterpieces from the Idemitsu collection, which is a compelling but long story about a powerful Japanese industrialist who acquired a large collection of Rouault’s, called the Passion. This is only the second time the collection has left Japan in over 35 years.
The exhibit felt claustrophobic with dark walls and tight spaces and the hoards of people made it even feel more so. We were both under whelmed and walked away with disappointment. Although Rouault was a talented artist with a strong, bold style, the work just didn’t speak to me. I did like the portraits of the nude women and dancers, some of the intricate African headdress portraits, and one portrait, Madame X, was one of the few standouts. However, as I looked closer at some of paintings I became more drawn to them and liked them more.
Afterwards we went for a drink at the lively Café Madeleine on Place Madeleine. It was a beautiful, sunny fall day and we sat outside, catching up on the last two months and enjoying probably the last warm days like this till next spring. Not our most exciting outing, but it’s never about the event, it’s about hangin’ with Polly.
Click here to see what Polly wrote.
Georges Rouault:The Masterpieces from the Idemitsu Collection
Pinacotheque de Paris
28 Place de La Madeleine, 8th arr.
Metro: Madeleine
www.pinacotheque.com
Open daily 10:30AM- 6PM, till January 18th
Wishing you all a happy Rosh Hashanah. Here's to a happy and healthy new year.
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
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