«TOULOUSE - LAUTREC AND THE BELLE EPOQUE IN
PARIS AND ATHENS»
Exhibition: «TOULOUSE - LAUTRECANDTHE BELLE
EPOQUE IN PARIS AND ATHENS» Evagoras Lanitis Center, Limassol 19 February - 16
May 2010 The Evagoras and Kathleen Lanitis Foundation presents the unique
exhibition «TOULOUSE - LAUTREC AND THE BELLE EPOQUE IN PARIS AND ATHENS», in
collaboration with the Museum Herakleidon. The exhibition is under the auspices
of the Embassy of France. At the center of this exhibition is a rare collection
of approximately 130 original works on paper by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, which
the organizers have placed in the historical, social, artistic, and aesthetic
context of the time (1800 to the beginning of the 20th century). Furthermore,
there has been an effort to approximate the prevailing historical and artistic
conditions of urban Athens of the same era, with the goal of revealing the
influence of the French Belle Epoque on the social and artistic life of Athens
and to establish a number of obvious parallels.
The Evagoras and
Kathleen Lanitis Foundation presents the unique exhibition «TOULOUSE-LAUTREC
AND THE BELLE EPOQUE IN PARIS AND ATHENS», in collaboration with the
Museum Herakleidon. The exhibition is under the auspices of the Embassy of
France.
At the center of this exhibition is a rare collection of
approximately 130 original works on paper by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,
which the organizers have placed in the historical, social, artistic, and
aesthetic context of the time (1800 to the beginning of the 20th century).
Furthermore, there has been an effort to approximate the prevailing
historical and artistic conditions of urban Athens of the same era, with the
goal of revealing the influence of the French Belle Epoque on the social and
artistic life of Athens and to establish a number of obvious parallels.
The original works of Lautrec that are being exhibited (publicity
posters, prints, and drawings) draw their inspiration from everyday life and
entertainment. Advertisements for cabarets and periodicals, which are some
of the best-known images of the great French artist, are shown next to
portraits of famous actors and singers of the time, as well as sketches and
caricatures. The works of Lautrec are accompanied by appropriate passages
from French literature, photographs, and other objects, in order to help the
viewer better understand the atmosphere of that time.
The condensed attempt to reach a correspondence between the
Paris and Athens Belle Époque has been invoked enhanced by
records material derived from
the Benaki Museum photography archive as well as the personal collections of
Mr. Petros Vergos’ and Mr. Giannis Spandonis. The bourgeois habits and
entertainment modes of the 19th century last twenty years in Athens are
reformed through original designs - caricatures by D. Galani, presenting,
therefore, with some humour, the Greek politicians and scholars, foreign
diplomats, bourgeois people, elegant ladies of that time, bourgeoisie family
photos, postal cards and plenty of theatre programs, inviting the visitor to
go deeper into that enchanting flagrance of that time.
The inauguration will be
celebrated by his Honourable the Minister of Education and Culture, Mr
Andreas Demetriou and his Excellency the Ambassador of France Mr Jean - Marc
Rives, on Friday, February 19th, 2010, at Evagoras Lanitis Center, Lanitis
Carob mill, Limassol.
Duration:
19 February - 16 May 2010
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