Celebrate 150 Years of Impressionism with these Blockbuster Events

Paris 1874: Inventing impressionism

Musée d’Orsay, March 26 to July 14

Tonight With the Impressionists, Paris 1874

Musée d’Orsay, March 26 to August 11

Paris’s bastion of Impressionism the Musée d’Orsay juxtaposes a selection of works featured in the first Impressionist show – including Monet’s Impression, Sunrise – with – paintings and sculptures displayed at the official Salon of that year to underscore the works’ radical modernity and recreate the visual shock viewers experienced.

A companion to the exhibition, ‘Tonight With the Impressionists, Paris 1874’ places visitors in the centre of the action, recreating Nadar’s studio on the Boulevard des Capucines and the 165 works shown there via the latest virtual reality technology. Visitors will stroll down the boulevard, enter from the street and mingle with the movement’s emblematic figures, viewing the scene exactly as it rolled out 150 years ago.

David Hockney: Normandism

Musée des Beaux-Arts Rouen, March 22 to September 22

British painter David Hockney, who is based in Normandy, pays homage to Impressionism through his unique interpretation of the Norman landscape, creating a contemporary dialogue between his vibrant and expressive works – many made on smart technology such as his iPad – and the masterpieces in the museum.

Whistler, the Butterfly Effect

Musée des Beaux-Arts Rouen, May 24 to July 24

This exhibition highlights how Whistler’s handling of paint and his willingness to cross the pictorial boundaries of the day put him in league with the Impressionists (his Symphony in White, No. I was a major contribution to the 1874 exhibition). The show also explores Whistler’s influence on European and American painting. For the first time in the festival’s history they will honour the painter, one of several American artists closely associated with or deeply influenced by the group.

Robert Wilson’s Cathedral of Light

Rouen Cathedral, May 24 to September 30

Visual artist, choreographer, playwright and director Robert Wilson-known for his exceptional avant-garde staging and scenography – will be the first American artist to commandeer this beloved annual lights show played out on the façade of the Impressionist icon of Rouen Cathedral, which was immortalised by Claude Monet, who painted it 30-plus times.

For more information on the Normandy festival: www.normandie-impressionniste.fr

From France Today Magazine