Bendigo Art Gallery will soon unveil the exclusive exhibition Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925, featuring the renowned collection of the Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris. This premiere exhibition immerses visitors in the unique atmosphere of historic Paris through the Musée Carnavalet’s extensive collection of artisan street signs, poster art, decorative arts, everyday ephemera and almost 90 paintings.
Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 captures a time of social and urban change as Paris evolved into a flourishing modern city with avant-garde revolutions in art, fashion and design. The exhibition features seven themed pathways, offering visitors a journey through the city guided by world-renowned landmarks, including the banks of the River Seine, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Élysées and other iconic sights.
Bendigo Art Gallery Curator, Clare Needham tells ArtsHub that the exhibition offers something for everyone – whether they have visited Paris or not – providing insights into everyday life in the “City of Light” through the eyes of Parisian artists and artisans of the time.
She says: ‘The city map is crucial within the design of the exhibition, helping visitors navigate each pathway and locate significant sites and corresponding artworks along the way. There are things that visitors will recognise instantly, but also opportunities to learn about the richness and complexities of the period, the breadth of artists creating at the time, and the diversity and uniqueness of the Musée Carnavalet’s collection.’
Those who haven’t been to Paris will be in for a treat, with the exhibition offering historical insights and a visual feast. ‘We wanted to bring elements of the magic of Paris to Bendigo,’ continues Needham. ‘It’s an opportunity to visit Paris in Bendigo, to take in the bustling banks of the Seine, speciality shops, public gardens, grand boulevards, and vibrant cabarets and theatres, at a time that has shaped many of the mythologies and romanticised visions of Paris.’
Straight from Musée Carnavalet: a treasure in Paris
Opening in 1880, Musée Carnavalet is the oldest municipal museum in Paris. It is now housed across the grand mansions of what used to be Hôtel Carnavalet and Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau – historic monuments from the 16th and 17th centuries, recently connected during a significant period of renovation and reopened in 2021. The museum has over 620,000 items in its collection telling the story of Paris and Parisians from pre-history to the present day.
Needham first visited the museum last year. She says, ‘It is beloved by local Parisians, and also enjoyed by visitors offering world-class displays of significant historical artefacts, interior design, paintings and everyday objects that give fascinating insight into the layers and layers of the incredibly long history of Paris.’
Developed by Musée Carnavalet specifically for Bendigo Art Gallery, Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 considers Parisian history in the context of an international audience. Needham explains: ‘The exhibition considers many aspects of Paris that have really shaped the contemporary vision of the city; 1880 to 1925 was a defining time in Western art, graphic design, architecture, urban design and progressive modern ideals. All of this had a great impact on the identity of the city and nation of France, and continues to resonate and fascinate people across the world.’
The exhibition offers a unique opportunity for visitors to explore artworks and objects from a distinct period in the vast collection of the Musée Carnavalet, many of which have not been on display in Paris.
Rather than recreating the historic architecture of the Musée Carnavalet, Bendigo Art Gallery worked with exhibition designer, Anita Gigi Design to tailor to the Gallery’s more contemporary architecture. One of the exhibition’s pathways involves the museum itself, which was initiated to preserve and tell the history of Paris and Parisians at a time of radical urban development, which changed the design and character of the city. Needham says: ‘It is unprecedented for the Musée Carnavalet to put together an exhibition exclusively from its own collection for an international venue, so it’s an incredible opportunity for Australian audiences.’
What to see in the exhibition
Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 provides a visual archive of a remarkable Parisian era. Artists who were active during this time, including the Impressionists, are still integral to our visual culture today. For them, as well as the exhibition itself, there is a focus on the “everyday”.
‘It was a moment when canvases were taken out onto the streets, and artists started capturing their personal perspectives rather than institutionalised narratives,’ explains Needham.
One work on view will be Pont des Arts (1928) by Paul Signac in a Post-Impressionist style, channelling the spirit of innovation in his pointillism technique. Another is Jean Béraud’s The Entrance to the 1889 Universal Exhibition (1889), exemplifying a time when Paris hosted many large-scale international showcases that drew thousands of visitors. These grand spectacles presented France’s ambition, its growing Empire and innovations in science, technology and the arts.
The exhibition includes paintings, advertising posters, artistic shop signs (watch out for the pair of gold snails!), historic newsreel footage, souvenirs and more. In addition, Bendigo Art Gallery has incorporated historic French couture on loan from the National Gallery of Victoria and the National Gallery of Australia. Designs by the House of Worth, Madeleine Vionnet and the Callot Soeurs illustrate changing styles across the decades of the exhibition – from the extravagance of the Belle Époch to the more restrained and looser fitting styles of the 1920s.
The use of colour is significant in the exhibition – drawing on the legacy of Impressionism and also the mesmerising scenery that Paris offers, from the Seine to its lush green gardens. ‘It’s a very bright and colourful exhibition,’ says Needham. ‘It was a time when artists were looking at the different effects of colours next to each other, and the interplay between colour and light. It was also the time that bright, bold idealised images and typography emerged as a key marketing tool and added to the spectacle of the streetscape.’ The colour palette used in the exhibition design has been drawn from the colours in artworks across the exhibition.
Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 also incorporates sound to conjure the hustle and bustle of the busy city, transporting visitors to the historic streets of Paris. Needham says: ‘We’ve worked with sound designer Simon Rosenberg who designs soundscapes for films. He’s created a really subtle composition that emulates the sounds of the city parks and streets at time.’
The show will be accompanied by a diverse range of public programming that draws connections to the local Australian and Bendigo context. French chef Gabriel Gaté, who has a Melbourne-born wife and moved to Australia in 1977, will present a talk that looks at the history of food and fine dining. He is working with a local Bendigo restaurant to create an exclusive lunch menu alongside the exhibition.
Needham’s personal connection with Paris has been bolstered throughout the development of this exhibition. ‘Paris is a fascinating city,’ she says and the wish to ‘spend an extended period immersed in Paris’ is on her bucket list. ‘Paris is an icon of style, elegance and artistic vitality, but it is also a gritty, busy and densely populated city full of fascinating people and complex stories,’ says Needham.
‘Now that I have a richer understanding of the time period, I would like to spend time visiting more of the places featured in the exhibition. I’d love to go back with the extra knowledge and insight I have gained. For those who have never been to Paris, the exhibition is a really great opportunity to experience some of the ambience and cultural delights of this alluring city.’
Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 opens at Bendigo Art Gallery from 16 March to 14 July. Book your visit now.
