Modernism and the Cote D'Azur
Modernism and the Cote D'Azur
Seven Days of Art and Sunshine
Modernism and the Cote D'Azur
Modernism and the Cote D'Azur
Seven Days of Art and Sunshine
From the moment Nirvana, in her Sunday lecture series at the Whitworth, spoke of the exceptional light and colours of the Cote d’Azur and how it attracted the legendary 19th century artists, I was hooked.
This trip was the chance to see the less visited, but highly respected, private collections, a fabulous villa from the Belle Epoque era, to explore the diverse architecture of a beautiful, recently renovated modernist villa, the Matisse Chapel and the beautiful, soft Turin coloured Art Deco façades in Nice.
The welcome lunch in Mougins was a wonderful beginning to the trip and a great way to get to know other members of the group. Over the busy following days, whether we were travelling, eating together or wandering around a gallery, I enjoyed talking to different people and sharing experiences.
Top of my list were the visits to two modern private collections, the Musee de Mougins, formed in 2009 by a young British investment manager and the Carmignac Foundation, created in 2000 by a French investment banker. Wealth may be a major factor to collecting, but the art is stunning.
We were surprised, challenged and delighted. Collecting is very personal and it was fascinating to see how these collectors curate their pieces. Christian Levett, at Musee de Mougins, wanted to show the relevance between antiquity and the new and his display of Greek urns and Grayson Perry’s pot ‘A Classical Compromise’ was amusing.
The visit by boat to the Carmignac Foundation was a ‘sensational’ experience, from the detoxifying tea to prepare for the exhibition, the removal of shoes, the outstanding modern art to the outside exhibition- a playground for ‘grown ups’- and the Sea of Desire. Whether you ‘got it’ or not, this was a feast for the senses. It was a team building exercise to find Nils-Udo (also at Bridgewater Hall) La Couvée, better known as the Eggs, and the interactive Volatile – a walk in talcum powder that the gallery booklet explained was ‘both very gentle and slightly frightening’. It was the talking point of the day and had everyone laughing. So did the salad leaves that blew away at lunch, lifted from our plates by an errant Sirocco wind.
Cap Ferrat may have the most expensive real estate in the world, but Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027 in Cap Martin has the best view. It was wonderful to walk around her house, which still has Le Corbusier’s murals (much to her displeasure, they were painted after her departure). She was a visionary and a brilliant furniture designer who cleverly used her furniture and colours to direct you from room to room throughout the villa. She was probably obsessive about detail and routine and had even demarcated areas for everything from utensils to cutlery in her tiny kitchen for her maid. It was a real treat to walk to Le Corbusier’s tiny cabin, La Cabana, some still available for rent, and look at the amazing coastline towards Monaco. Picasso also spent summer holidays here with Francoise who complained that their cabin was far too small, which it was!
I had fallen back in love with the Riviera. It was exciting to go by boat to St Tropez and see the beautiful paintings of Signac, Seurat, Vuillard and Bonnard in the Annonciade Museum. What a pleasure to revisit St Paul de Vence and later to see Chagall’s first mosaic, the Giacometti courtyard and walk around Miró’s fun labyrinth at the Maeght Foundation. The Friends have a passion for ‘outsider art’ and the visit to the Museum of Naïve Art in Nice sat well against the modern art already seen and who couldn’t love the larger than life ceramic figures by Frédéric Lanovsky, who greeted us on the lawn of the pink chateau once owned by the perfume magnate, Coty. There was even time to visit MAMAC in Nice and see Yves Klein famous ‘Happening’ painting and his International Yves Klein Blue.
Nirvana and the Cote d’Azur kept their promise. I can’t wait for the next Friends of the Whitworth trip!
From the moment Nirvana, in her Sunday lecture series at the Whitworth, spoke of the exceptional light and colours of the Cote d’Azur and how it attracted the legendary 19th century artists, I was hooked.
This trip was the chance to see the less visited, but highly respected, private collections, a fabulous villa from the Belle Epoque era, to explore the diverse architecture of a beautiful, recently renovated modernist villa, the Matisse Chapel and the beautiful, soft Turin coloured Art Deco façades in Nice.
The welcome lunch in Mougins was a wonderful beginning to the trip and a great way to get to know other members of the group. Over the busy following days, whether we were travelling, eating together or wandering around a gallery, I enjoyed talking to different people and sharing experiences.
Top of my list were the visits to two modern private collections, the Musee de Mougins, formed in 2009 by a young British investment manager and the Carmignac Foundation, created in 2000 by a French investment banker. Wealth may be a major factor to collecting, but the art is stunning.
We were surprised, challenged and delighted. Collecting is very personal and it was fascinating to see how these collectors curate their pieces. Christian Levett, at Musee de Mougins, wanted to show the relevance between antiquity and the new and his display of Greek urns and Grayson Perry’s pot ‘A Classical Compromise’ was amusing.
The visit by boat to the Carmignac Foundation was a ‘sensational’ experience, from the detoxifying tea to prepare for the exhibition, the removal of shoes, the outstanding modern art to the outside exhibition- a playground for ‘grown ups’- and the Sea of Desire. Whether you ‘got it’ or not, this was a feast for the senses. It was a team building exercise to find Nils-Udo (also at Bridgewater Hall) La Couvée, better known as the Eggs, and the interactive Volatile – a walk in talcum powder that the gallery booklet explained was ‘both very gentle and slightly frightening’. It was the talking point of the day and had everyone laughing. So did the salad leaves that blew away at lunch, lifted from our plates by an errant Sirocco wind.
Cap Ferrat may have the most expensive real estate in the world, but Eileen Gray’s Villa E-1027 in Cap Martin has the best view. It was wonderful to walk around her house, which still has Le Corbusier’s murals (much to her displeasure, they were painted after her departure). She was a visionary and a brilliant furniture designer who cleverly used her furniture and colours to direct you from room to room throughout the villa. She was probably obsessive about detail and routine and had even demarcated areas for everything from utensils to cutlery in her tiny kitchen for her maid. It was a real treat to walk to Le Corbusier’s tiny cabin, La Cabana, some still available for rent, and look at the amazing coastline towards Monaco. Picasso also spent summer holidays here with Francoise who complained that their cabin was far too small, which it was!
I had fallen back in love with the Riviera. It was exciting to go by boat to St Tropez and see the beautiful paintings of Signac, Seurat, Vuillard and Bonnard in the Annonciade Museum. What a pleasure to revisit St Paul de Vence and later to see Chagall’s first mosaic, the Giacometti courtyard and walk around Miró’s fun labyrinth at the Maeght Foundation. The Friends have a passion for ‘outsider art’ and the visit to the Museum of Naïve Art in Nice sat well against the modern art already seen and who couldn’t love the larger than life ceramic figures by Frédéric Lanovsky, who greeted us on the lawn of the pink chateau once owned by the perfume magnate, Coty. There was even time to visit MAMAC in Nice and see Yves Klein famous ‘Happening’ painting and his International Yves Klein Blue.
Nirvana and the Cote d’Azur kept their promise. I can’t wait for the next Friends of the Whitworth trip!
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