Claude Monet once said “I perhaps owe it to flowers that I have become a painter.” Monet cultivated gardens wherever he lived. Today an estimated half million visitors pay homage to the artist’s Giverny garden where he painted his renowned water lilies. But Monet —although the most famous — is far from being the only artist inspired by gardens.
Just in time for spring the exhibition “Jardins,” at Paris’ Grand Palais, revisits how artists— from Durer to Le Notre to Picasso— have been inspired by gardens. The exhibition begins with a reproduction of a Roman villa fresco depicting an idyllic garden scene found at Pompei’s “House of the Golden Bracelet” reminding visitors that gardens have been a source of inspiration for a long time.
“Jardins” focuses on the symbiotic relationship between artists and gardens from the Renaissance until today with work by such artists as Fragonard, Cézanne, Klimt, Matisse as well as photographers Eugene Atget and Karl Blossfeldt and such contemporary artists as Giuseppe Penone and Patrick Neu. With paintings, sculptures, photos and installations the exhibition takes visitors on a poetic journey to “paradise regained.”
“Jardins” to July 24, 2017 at Paris Grand Palais.