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The Nahmad Collection: from Monet to Picasso, Giverny

  Amedeo Modigliani: Jeune fille à la chemise rayée (Young girl in stripey shirt) 1917 The Exhibition of the Nahmad Collection at the Musée des Impressionismes, Giverny, culminates in three works by 20th century masters: Modigliani, Matisse and Picasso. It is refreshing to see some lesser-known paintings. Modigliani's young girl, above, looks a thoroughly modern woman in her rather masculine attire but her gaze is impenetrable. It is unusual for Modigliani to paint the eye pupils- many of his models have blank, mask-like eyes.  Matisse's cosy scene of a piano lesson was painted when he was living in Nice. He finds a rich harmony of colours and a dynamic balance between the different patterns: Henri Matisse: La leçon de piano (The Piano lesson) 1923 Picasso is at the heart of David Nahmad's collection, which contains around 300 of the Spanish painter's works. Here, the Pierrot with flowers is a portrait of Picasso's son Paulo, born in 1921, but harks back to a tradit...
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Cimabue- "The origins of Italian painting" at the Louvre

  La Maestà (Virgin in majesty) circa 1280-5  Two of the Louvre's prize possessions were originally Napoleonic war booty! They are at present on show in a small but precious exhibition at the Western end of the grand gallery in the Denon wing. The star of the exhibition is the newly restored "Maestà" by Cimabue, known in English as the Virgin in majesty or the Virgin enthroned with angels. Its colours have been beautifully refreshed, from the virgin's lapis lazuli robe to the shimmering multi-coloured wings of the seraphim angels surrounding her and the Christ child. The angels and Saints (including Saint Francis) around the frame all look as if they are ready to pop out of the icon into the real world: detail: angel (from exhibition film) Little is known about Cenni di Pepo, called Cimabue. There are only two documented dates in his life: he was in Rome in 1282 and was working in Pisa in 1301 to 1302, the date of his death. Renaissance artist Vasari writes that Cimab...

Suzanne Valadon at the Pompidou Centre

  Femmes aux bas blancs (Woman with white stockings) 1924 Musée des Beaux Arts, Nancy The artist Suzanne Valadon was fairly well known during her day, but her life story and association with several famous painters as model or lover has taken prominence nowadays and her art is a little neglected. The Pompidou exhibition displays various aspects of her work, from portraits, still lifes and landscapes to numerous nudes. Valadon's paintings reflect the influence of Cézanne and Gauguin, but her signature firm lines show how important drawing was to her. Her pastel self portrait aged eighteen is 'fauvist' before the term was invented: Self portrait, 1883 pencil, charcoal and pastel on paper  Centre Pompidou Valadon brings out bright colour contrasts in the skin tones of her nudes: Les Baigneuses (The bathers) 1923 Musée d'Arts de Nantes She used as her artist's name 'Suzanne' - the nickname given to her by Toulouse Lautrec. He jokingly referred to her as Suzanne ...