The Lure of the Midi
Modern Artists and the South of France
Tuesday 18 May 2021
On Zoom
Ever since the late C19th, seduced by its intense light and sensual colours, visual artists (most of them from the north) have been irresistibly drawn to the Mediterranean coast of France. Claude Monet painted in Antibes in 1888; while in the same year, van Gogh, dreaming of setting up a “Studio of the South”, persuaded Gauguin – with disastrous results – to join him in Arles. Cézanne’s roots, of course, lay in his beloved Midi, to which he returned for good in 1899. Meanwhile, in 1892, Paul Signac sailed into the unspoilt port of St.Tropez, settling there and attracting large numbers of younger artists to the area – among them, his Neo-Impressionist disciples and members of the future Fauve group. In the early 20th century, Renoir would make the Midi his home, as would Bonnard and Matisse. And after the Second World War, so too would Picasso and Chagall.
Lecturer: Monica Bohm-Duchen
Monica Bohm-Duchen is a London-based freelance lecturer, writer and exhibition organiser. Institutions for which she has worked include Tate, Royal Academy of Arts, Sotheby’s Institute of Art and Courtauld Institute of Art. She is the initiator and Creative Director of the nationwide Insiders/Outsiders arts festival and contributing editor of the companion volume, Insiders/Outsiders: Refugees from Nazi Europe and their Contribution to British Visual Culture (2019). Her many publications include Understanding Modern Art (1991), Chagall (1998/2001), The Private Life of a Masterpiece (2001) and Art and the Second World War (2013). Monica leads tours looking at Modern Art on the Cote d’Azur for Martin Randall Travel, and that the next one will be, COVID restrictions hopefully lifted, in late September 2022!
Programme for the day
10.15 am onwards: Please join meeting for 10.25 am Introduction to speaker
10:30 am Lecture 1
Artists working in the South of France in the period up to WWII
11:30 am approx; Coffee break
11:50 am Lecture 2
Giants of 20th Century art, Matisse, Picasso and Chagall
12:50 pm Questions and Finish
Book this Study Day
This Study Day is open to all at a charge of £15 for Members of The Arts Society Sherborne and £18 for non-Members (which includes members of other Arts Societies). Registration in advance is required.
For further information and to receive a booking form please complete the form below.