Bohèmes exhibition opens in Paris
An exhibition dedicated to the mythicised figure of the 'bohemian' in art is set to open in Paris tomorrow, Wednesday 26 September.
Co-produced by Fundación Mapfre, Madrid and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN), Paris, the exhibition will be held at the Grand Palais.
In the middle of the 19th century, the figure of the ‘bohemian’ coincided with a new attitude towards the artist’s role in society. This exhibition traces back to the roots of the bohemian myth, with early depictions or romanticised impressions of Romani people by da Vinci, Georges de la Tour and Franz Hals. We then witness how, in the 19th century, artists appropriated the word bohemain ('bohème') to reflect their own status as rebellious, troubled figures, rejecting conventions of society. Examples include the poets Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Verlaine and the painters Courbet, van Gogh, Satie and Picasso. In music, Carmen's Bizet epitomised a contemporary fascination for the mysterious, fiery nature of the gypsy.
Key masterpieces have been loaned from the world's leading museums including La Diseuse de bonne aventure by Georges de la Tour from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and L'Absinthe by Edgar Degas from the Musée d'Orsay.
The exhibition scenography is designed by celebrated French designer Robert Carsen. Bohèmes runs until 14 January 2013.
Image credit: Charles Amable Lenoir, Rêverie, 1893, private collection, © Mille / Realis