Paris IV - about art and design

Paris - the place to be

from 1900 - 1930, Paris was the focus for artists, writers and collectors from throughout the Western world. It was here that artists traveled if the would be updated on the latest trends in art.

It was here they setteled, if they wanted to be part of new trends.The movie Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen gives a short glimpse of the atmosphere during that time and shows what the myth is all about.

print by Salvador Dali
self-portrait as Mona Lisa

If you are interested, just have a short look at wikipedia on the long list of famous artists living in Montmartre. It's amazing!

La Maison Bernot - Maurice Utrillo 1924

One of our first excursion lead us to the Musée de l'Orangerie, the place of the famous Nymphéas by Claude Monet, which I have shown you before.

But the Orangerie is also home of the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection which includes beautiful paintings by Picasso, Gaugin, Matisse etc. And guess whom I found on one of the paintings:

Portrait de Mademoiselle Chanel
Marie Laurencin, 1923

I immediately liked it, even before I knew who the beautiful lady on the picture was!

Portrait de Madame Paul Guillaume au grand chapeau
André Derain 1928-1929

We also went to the Musée de Quai Branly with African, Asian and American art and one immediately understands why painters and collectors where so facinated during that period of time by the native art of this continets. There is such richness of abstract forms  which was completely new for the art scene, for example Pablo Picasso was inspired by the African masks and one can see similairities in his cubist paintings.


Regarding famous inhabitans of Montmatre, I haven't mentioned Toulouse Lautrec yet who is famous for his posters and paintings of the Moulin Rouge and its dancers. But I have a good reason as there is an exhibition in Copenhagen which I accidently might be able to see!