This autumn, you don’t have to make the trip to Paris to see a true Impressionist painting. From the 24th of September to the 5th of January 2014, the Royal Palace of Pitti in Florence will host 12 masterpieces of the Impressionist period.
The event comes as the result of a collaboration and cultural exchange between two museums. The Musée d’Orsay has lent 12 Impressionist masterpieces to the Pallazo Pitti to be used in an exhibit held in the Ballroom of the Winter Quarter. Earlier in the year, the Palazzo Pitti loaned 19 masterpieces from their collection to the Orangerie of Paris for the exhibit “Les macchiaioli, des impressinistes italiens?”
The Impressionist movement started in France in 1874 as a response to the academic paintings during that era. The Impressionists painted realistic scenes of modern life and emphasized the nature of moving light falling on surfaces. Their work featured short, visible brush strokes that gave the paintings an unfinished, messy look, and was criticized greatly by the French art world in the beginning. Unlike the smooth, blended paintings of the previous paintings of the era, there was room for perception in the separation of colors. These Impressionist artists pushed the limits of art in the 1870s, but created a new visuality, a new way of seeing the world. We still see Impressionism as a style in the works of some artists to this very day.
The Impressionist Exhibit at the Palazzo Pitti will display wonderful pieces by Degas, Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Henri Fantin-Latour, and Paul Guigou. The exhibit will be divided into two sections – the first section, called “Open Air,” highlights landscapes and the relationship with light and its vibrations. The second section moves onto interior scenes, including the painting by Degas, “Ballet rehearsal on stage.”
This Impressionist exhibit, resulting as an exchange between the Musée d’Orsay and the Palazzo Pitti, allows you to experience a unique collaboration between French and Tuscan culture. The exhibit is open from Tuesday to Sunday 8:15 am-6:50 pm, and is closed on Mondays. Tickets include admission to the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens.
For more information, please contact Italy Travels at +39 055 2670402 or email info@italy-travels.it. To book your tour to the Impressionist exhibit, please visit www.ticketsflorence.com.