The summer exhibition at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum opens its doors to visitors from all over the world. It runs until September 8, 2023. Like every year, I'm delighted to discover a masterly exhibition at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum. This year, we're pushing the envelope even further. The event is grandiose, thanks to the exceptional support of the Musée Marmottan Monet Paris, theAcadémie des Beaux-Arts, the Princely Palace of Monaco and private collectors.
One hundred masterpieces by French painter Claude Monet. Born in Paris in 1840, he died in 1926 at his home in Giverny.
Between his garden at Giverny and the Côte d'Azur, he made several visits that were to fuel his thinking.
Behind the scenes of the exhibition
To begin with, I had the honor of attending a conference given by Marianne Mathieu, curator of the exhibition. During the Rendez-vous culturels at Monaco's Hôtel Métropole, hosted by journalist Laurence Genevet, we took stock of the ambition of this exhibition. The necessary preparatory work took several years. Bringing these masterpieces together on a Monegasque theme is a major achievement for the Principality of Monaco!
We're familiar with the painter's best-known canvases, but less so with his journey along the Mediterranean coast. From 1883 onwards, he returned regularly to draw inspiration and develop his style. The curator has therefore chosen to focus on the places and testimonies of his work. In this way, new information provides a better understanding of the painter's evolution as he visited the French and Italian Riviera.
Thanks to this new approach, his artistic approach has evolved over a period of ten years. Timeless and universal, the subject of nature is gradually taking on a new dimension. When his paintings are placed in chronological perspective, he will form series of the same subject. The only variation is the effect of light.
He was invited for the first time by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, already living in Cagnes sur mer. Monet discovered the region in 1883. He described Monte-Carlo as "the most beautiful place on the whole coast".
Since then, he has set up his 40kg of equipment around the towns of Antibes, Monaco, Bordighera, Dolce aqua and Cap Martin. In search of remarkable vistas, Monet concentrated on painting light.
From shadow to light, the staging allows us to better understand the artist's path. Gradually, the arrangement of works and rooms increases in intensity and space. Crescendo, the ambient luminosity is matched by that of the canvases. We feel the benefits of this warm landscape light more and more intensely.
I've visited many exhibitions, but this one is particularly profound for me on several levels. Firstly, the Grimaldi Forum's scenography and venue showcase all the paintings in a comfortable way.
Secondly, the theme of the Côte d'Azur between Antibes and the Italian Riviera is close to my heart, because I was born there. As I travel through these landscapes, I never tire of living in this haven of peace. This place, steeped in history since antiquity, is perfectly captured in Claude Monet's pictorial approach. He chose vantage points charged with symbols of our civilization. Fort Vauban in Antibes is also a Greek colony. The medieval village of Dolce aqua bears witness to the passage of the Romans. Clearly, he paints the timelessness of places rather than modern characters or subjects, as his contemporaries might have done.
Finally, as a native of Antibes, I never tire of rediscovering the beauty of its landscapes. Between sea and mountains, the art of living is perpetuated in this former imperial province of the Roman Empire.
Monet holds a special place in art history. Historians rank him as the leader of the Impressionist movement. With "Impression, soleil levant", presented at the first Impressionist exhibition in April 1874, he remains the founder of modern painting. But here we discover another talent.
The exhibition's curator, Marianne Mathieu, has put into perspective a new way of painting by Monet that goes beyond his Impressionist period.
How does Monet's landscape painting take on this monumental dimension?
To find out, I invite you to discover this magnificent exhibition for yourself. There's nothing more important than seeing with one's own eyes, and feeling emotions in the face of works created by the artist's hand. In this age of new technologies, we're even more amazed to know that the artist has drawn on his imagination and personal resources to achieve this incredible production.
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