Renoir and the 12 Painters Who Fell in Love with Paris
We visited “Musée de l’Orangerie Collection: Renoir and the 12 Painters Who Fell in Love with Paris,” an exhibition of works from the Musée de l’Orangerie held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Yokohama Museum of Art.
The Musée de l’Orangerie is a French national museum that houses and exhibits French art from the late 19th to early 20th century.
This exhibition offers a valuable opportunity to see approximately 70 works by 13 painters from the museum’s 146-painting collection, brought together in Japan for the first time in 21 years.
Paul Guillaume
The remarkable holdings of the Musée de l’Orangerie were donated to the French State after the death of Paul Guillaume (1891–1934) by his wife Domenica, as the “Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection,” named after her second husband, and have since been displayed at the museum.
Paul Guillaume was both a French art dealer and a collector.
He amassed a personal collection regardless of whether the artist was famous or unknown, and served as a patron who discovered and nurtured young artists such as Modigliani.
A model recreating Paul Guillaume’s study was on display — what a study it was!
A spacious study surrounded by works from his collection — how wonderful!
At the press preview, Cécile Debray, director of the Musée de l’Orangerie, made an elegant and lovely impression.
It was recently announced that Mami Kataoka will become the director of the Mori Art Museum in Japan. In Japan, more than 80% of museum directors are said to be men — I would like to see more female directors emerge.
Featured Artists
Below, we introduce a selection of works by each of the 13 painters.
Alfred Sisley
Claude Monet
Auguste Renoir
Paul Cézanne
Henri Rousseau
Henri Matisse
Pablo Picasso
Amedeo Modigliani
Kees van Dongen
André Derain
Marie Laurencin
Maurice Utrillo
Chaim Soutine
Paul Guillaume, the art dealer and collector involved with so many historically important works.
The exhibition’s structure, which allowed viewers to feel his presence while viewing the works, left a strong impression.
The exhibition catalog was also organized around Paul Guillaume, making for engaging reading.
