Chagall and his cry for freedom in Nice
Until 16 September
This summer, the Musée National Marc Chagall in Nice is hosting an exhibition that presents a radically new perspective on the work of the greatest artist of the 20th century. Chagall, born in Belorussia, then part of the Russian Empire, survived anti-Semitic persecution, two world wars, exile and personal grief. The author of the great ‘Biblical Message’ of twelve paintings of Genesis and Exodus and the ‘Song of Songs’ is considered a brilliant colourist, poet and visionary who interpreted religious texts with inspiration. Yet the political side of his art remained in the shadows for decades.
The timely exhibition in Nice is the fruit of the artist’s granddaughter’s selfless and painstaking archival work. Meret Meyer, who attended the opening of the exhibition, emphasised the deeply humanistic nature of her grandfather’s art. The exhibition features true masterpieces, including ‘Loneliness,’ provided by the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The painting was painted in 1933, when Hitler came to power in Germany. A white calf lies beside a pitiful and inconsolable rabbi with a Torah in his hands, whose huge moist eye seems to symbolise the approach of the coming tragedies. Another canvas that cannot leave anyone indifferent is ‘Purim’. The painting, painted in 1916, was exhibited by the Nazis in Germany in 1937 as an example of degenerate art.
The National Marc Chagall Museum also presents a number of documents that testify to the upheavals of the last century that affected the greatest artists of our time. Among them are two prints illustrating Anne Frank’s book, and ‘A Prayer of Remembrance’ from 1946, which recounts the horror of the Holocaust with incredible simplicity and as if in hushed tones. The historical and political orientation of the exhibition is underscored by documents, including an extract from the French register concerning Chagall and his family, dated 10 October 1940: ‘Russian Jew, naturalised, of no national interest’….
This exhibition of great artistic (and not only) importance was first presented at La Piscine, the Museum of Art and Industry in Roubaix, and at the MAPFRE Foundation in Madrid. The sad fact is that the opening of the exhibitions took place on 7 October 2023. What is this, if not a sign from above…?
A Political Chagall. A Cry for Freedom
Marc Chagall National Museum
Avenue Dr. Ménard, Nice
Berthe Morisot and her Riviera at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nice
Until 29 September
This was the era of the luxurious Riviera resorts, whose bright lights and lush vegetation literally dazzled the first tourists. It was a time of change in the history of art, when artists sought to convey their emotions, to listen to their own feelings, to see the world differently, a time when Impressionism was born. In 2024, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of this major artistic movement, the Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret in Nice is dedicating an exhibition to Berthe Morisot, one of the most famous artists who worked in this style.
In her work, this sensitive and refined woman was largely inspired by the two winters she spent on the Riviera, 1881-1882 and 1888-1889. The exhibition presents some sixty works created by Berthe Morisot on the Côte d’Azur.
‘I don’t think there has ever been a man who treated a woman as an equal. Yet this is exactly what I would ask for. After all, I know that I am their equal,’ Berta declared. Endowed with a vivid personality, sometimes unruly, friends with the greatest artists of her time, Berta Morisot knew how to establish herself in the artistic community. In those days, however, it was really not easy to erase the boundary between the sexes.
Among Berta’s works in the style of impressionism on the verge of abstraction presented at the exhibition are two self-portraits, a view of the port of Nice, and orange picking in Cimieux. There are also paintings by Renoir and Monet to admire. Some of them, including a view of the Principality, are provided by the Princely Palace of Monaco.
One section of the exhibition is dedicated to Berta Morisot’s contemporaries. The exhibition brings together works by Mary Cassatt, Eva Gonzalez, Maria Bashkirtseva and Louise Breslau, telling the story of the amazing flowering of women’s creativity on the Riviera during the ‘Belle Epoque’. Impressionism, which challenged the norms of painting, certainly had a profound impact on society as a whole.
Berthe Morisot in Nice. Impressionist stops
Jules Chéret Museum of Fine Arts
33, Avenue des Baumettes, Nice
Miguel Barceló and his oceans at Villa Paloma
Until 13 October
Monaco is inextricably linked to oceanography, which is why the summer exhibition entitled ‘Miguel Barceló, the Oceanographer’ at Villa Paloma is so appropriate for the Principality. The new National Museum of Monaco is presenting the works of Mallorca-born Miguel Barceló. Museum director and exhibition curator Bjorn Dahlström describes Barceló as a brilliant master of both painting and ceramics. ‘I found it interesting to present Barceló from a certain angle, namely through his relationship with the sea. There is a clear ecological implication: even if Barceló is not strictly speaking an environmentalist, his work appeals to our conscience,’ says Björn Dahlström. — I like exhibitions that provoke rather than explain. Barceló is an islander, a great representative of the Mediterranean.
The exhibition offers some sixty works by Miguel Barceló, created over forty years of active creativity, and resembles a fascinating journey from the exploration of the abyss to the human figure, barely discernible in seascapes and still lifes. Other notable exhibits include large-scale compositions of powerful waves, bronzes and ceramic works inspired by ancient masters. There is even a real sea bestiary adorning tablecloths and sheets, an embroidery made by the artist in tandem with his mother. This is how a major contemporary artist really turned into an oceanographer for the duration of the Monaco exhibition.
Miquel Barceló, oceanographer
Villa Paloma
56, boulevard du Jardin Exotique, Monaco.
Ulrich Rumpp and his cosmogony in Tourrettes-sur-Loup.
Until 28 October
We recommend our readers to visit charming Tourrettes-sur-Loup near Vence, a medieval ‘violet town’ where the humble violet flower has been cultivated for centuries. From 1 June, the local town hall, which is undergoing a remarkable transformation at the will of one artist-designer, is simply unrecognisable…
Ulrich Rumpp offers us a leap into the future. But it is a very bleak future due to global warming… The year 2050 is just around the corner. The ice floes and glaciers have almost completely melted and the water has risen all the way to the castle. The mayor is rescued on the first floor, while the rest of the staff have to swim to work. This sketch gives the ominous scenario a somewhat humorous touch.
It took the artist more than two years to realise the idea. He used recycled tracing paper in delicate blue and white colours to create the waves that engulfed the building. Jellyfish, salmon and flying fish are made of the same material. The colourful and cheerful installation, however, aims to warn people of impending danger. The explosion of colour on the huge canvases on the walls of the town hall symbolises the birth of our planet.
The exhibition hints at the dangerous situation in which we all find ourselves. By visualising a worst-case scenario, the artist provides food for thought but also hope through elegant shapes and bright colours. The Town Hall of Tourrettes-sur-Loup definitely deserves praise for its creative approach to attracting tourists and for its attention to contemporary art.
Cosmogonie. L’histoire de la Terre et du vivant
Castle Town Hall, Tourrettes-sur-Loup
