La peinture en liberté at the Orangerie Museum

Discretely located in the Jardin des Tuileries near the Hôtel Brighton, the Museum has more than one trick up its sleeve to attract visitors! In addition to Monet's famous Water Lilies in the oval rooms and the permanent collection owned by Paul Guillaume, (Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani's art dealer), 2 new and original exhibitions are currently on show: starting with a giant fresco by David Hockney. The most expensive artist in the world chose to move to the Pays d’Auge in Normandy in 2019. A trip to see the famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting William the Conquerer's invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066 triggered the desire to create a long story himself. The Covid lockdown gave him the perfect opportunity to fully focus on painting the arrival of spring, a naturally occurring event, totally oblivious of the pandemic. However, it became more than just about spring emerging and turned into a genuine narrative cycle, over 260 foot long, about his natural surroundings throughout the entire year. Hockney is adept with his iPad and used the device's speed and precision to create the seasonal chart. Just like the Impressionists, he captures the light effects and climate changes in solid pop colours: flowers, apples, rain and snow one after the other in a joyful explosion of colour. The result is a magnificent ode to time passing by, revealing how David Hockney's eyes are just as keen as ever at the grand age of 83.

Followed by a special selection of works by Chaïm Soutine and Willem de Kooning. Backed by the latter's admiration of Soutine's paintings – seeing his landscapes at the Philadelphia Barnes Foundations in 1952 inspired Kooning to allow himself greater freedom in his own work – the exhibition compares the painters' different approaches as both progressively started concealing their subjects with particularly bold colour. The fact that Kooning's work is more abstract, and Soutine's is more figurative is of little importance considering the intense energy and expressionism they shared. An opportunity to see the Groom and the Woman entering water by Soutine and Woman II by Kooning!
 

Stop for a while to watch the last rays of light playing on the bronze statues in the fountains at Place de la Concorde as you leave. Then we suggest continuing onto to see the recently renovated courtyard at the Hôtel de la Marine where Chef Jean-François Piège has set up Mimosa, his latest gastronomic venture. Devilled eggs (œuf mimosa) top the bill with every variety imaginable on the menu - the cured roe and the fresh roe are musts for us. Southern Riviera cuisine such as bream gravlax, melt-in-the-mouth burrata-tomato balls, summer vegetable fritters and old-fashioned choux puffs or candied citrus fruit panettone for dessert is also on offer. Diners are bound to appreciate the large windows letting the autumn light in, the massive, frosted mirrors, woodwork and velvet fabrics which create such a pleasant ambience.

David Hockney. A Year in Normandie
Until the 14th of February, 2022
Chaïm Soutine / Willem de Kooning, la peinture incarnée
Until the 22nd of January, 2022
Orangerie Museum



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