From June 21 to October 14, the Petit Palais honors a little-known page in the artistic history of the nineteenth century: the exile in London of many French painters fleeing the Prussian invasion of 1870 and the insurrection of the Paris Commune in 1871.
The events of 1870
When Napoleon III declared war on the Kingdom of Prussia in 1870, the French had no idea of the calamities that would soon become.
The defeat of Sedan and the capitulation of Napoleon III caused the fall of the imperial regime. The advent of the Third Republic, while part of the Parliament remained royalist, accentuated the chaos that reigned in France. Unable to defend Paris against the advance of the Prussians, the government of national defense of which Léon Gambetta was a member went into exile, leaving the Parisians to fend for themselves.
On September 19, 1870, the Prussian army arrived at the gates of Paris, a state of siege was then proclaimed. When the armistice was signed, Paris was a shadow of its former self. Faced with the shortages and desolations caused by the bombings, Parisians, mainly among the working classes, rose up against the government of Thiers. The insurrection of 18 March 1871 in Montmartre marked the beginning of the Paris Commune in the form of a political and social movement based on self-management and the absence of centralized power.
The barricade of the boulevard Puebla during the insurrection of the Paris Commune, anonymous photo, 1871
In this tormented context, many artists, some of whom would later be called Impressionists, left Paris to take refuge in the United Kingdom, which had become a land of asylum. Camille Pissarro and Claude Monet took refuge in London in the autumn of 1870 where they met Charles Daubigny. They will then be joined by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, a famous sculptor of the imperial court who goes into exile in London to find a new clientele.
A tribute to the artists of exile
The exhibition "The Impressionists in London, French Artists in Exile 1870-1904" was originally conceived by the Tate Britain in London and then exported to Paris at the Petit Palais since June 21.
Contrary to what its title indicates, the exhibition is not limited to the Impressionist movement alone, which emerged only in 1874. Attracted by the economic dynamism, an aristocratic clientele and the stability of a country then at the height of its power, French artists from all walks of life flocked in the hope of finding a better life.
Some have already acquired a good reputation in France like Carpeaux or Daubigny, others are already established and recognized in London like the painter Alphonse Legros. The early years for the future Impressionists, however, were more difficult. Despite the support and generosity of Legros and the merchant Durand-Ruel, Pissarro and Sisley failed to seduce the English public. As for Monet, he painted almost nothing during his first year of exile. Yet this parenthesis on the banks of the Thames was particularly fruitful for artistic exchanges. These artists brought with them a modernity that inspired other British artists even as the London experience exerted a new influence on French art.
Beyond the impressionist masterpieces of Monet, Pissarro or Sisley, the exhibition has the merit of making us (re)discover artists who have fallen into oblivion such as the painter Alphonse Legros or the sculptor Jules Dalou. In total, more than 140 works, paintings, sculptures and engravings are gathered at the Petit Palais.
The scenography of the Petit Palais exhibition
The exhibition begins with a first room dedicated to the turbulent history of Paris during the war of 1870, the siege of Paris and the insurrection of the Commune. The visitor will be able to contemplate Corot's nightmarish work "The dream: Paris burned, 1870".
Camille Corot, Le rêve: Paris incendié, 1870, h/t 30.5 x 54.5, Musée Carnavalet
The visit continues with an immersive space dedicated to change of scenery and travel. The scenography is based in particular on an audiovisual installation plunging the visitor into the London of the 1870s as experienced by the exiles at that time.
As a highlight, the exhibition ends with the Impressionists where the works of Monet depicting Parliament in fog or those of Pissaro with a bucolic painting of Kew Green triumph. This adventure on the banks of the Thames ended in 1904 with Derain who came to paint a London in the colors of Fauvism.
Camille Pissarro, Kew Green, 1892, h/t, 46 x 55cm, Paris Musée d'Orsay
André Derain, Charing Cross Bridge, London, 1906, h/t, 80.3 x 100.3 cm, Washington National gallery of Art
"To whom if not to the Impressionists, do we owe these admirable tawny fogs that creep into our streets? […] The climate of London is entirely due to this art school. »
Oscar Wilde
The Impressionists in London – Artists in Exile, 1870-1904
Timetables
Every day and holiday except Monday, from 10am to 6pm, and for Friday from 10am to 9pm.
place
Petit Palaisavenue Winston-Churchill
75008 ParisDates
From Thursday, June 21 2018 to Sunday, October 14 2018
