The Legends of Montparnasse
The temporary exhibition, which runs until March 25th, opens with a portrait of the collector Jonas Netter without whom the whole collection would have probably remained unknown to the public.
The exhibition immerses visitors into the Bohemian lives of the artists of Montparnasse, the Parisian neighborhood known for being the center of artistic, intellectual and social life in the city during les Années Folles (the Crazy Years) of the 1920s and 1930s.
Of particular significance in the collection are the paintings of two friends, Amedeo Modigliani and Chaim Soutine. Their paintings, mostly portraits, unveil the intimate relationships of the artists with their subjects and show us a glimpse of the world around them.
Both artists were extraordinarily talented but shared tumultuous lives. Modigliani’s work is quite intimate. He passionately depicted the people most dear to him, like his wife Jeanne Hébuterne, who committed suicide just two days after his death.
In contrast with Modigliani’s well-defined strokes, Soutine’s paintings are more emotional, the lines are blurred and the details undefined, but his portraits are vibrant and expressive.
Among the artists represented in the exhibition, it is worth noting the work of Suzanne Valadon, an important figure for the social and creative emancipation of women at the time, as well as her son Maurice Utrillo, acclaimed for his cityscapes.
The exhibition also includes a collection of photographs depicting the Montparnasse artists in their social environment and a fifteen-minute-documentary about their lives.
21 Naberezhnaya Reki Fontanki. Metro Gostiny Dvor. +7 (812) 333 2655. fabergemuseum.ru