Paris Moderne: Art Deco Works from the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

“The first such selection from the Musée d’Art Moderne ever to leave France, ‘Paris Moderne’…is as exquisitely focused as it is elegantly articulated, bringing together in five galleries furniture, decorative objects and paintings that evoke affluent Paris between the two world wars.”

– The Times-Picayune

“The exhibit itself is an elegant Parisian gem, and we are so lucky to have it here.”

– Emily Resmer, Jackson Free Press

Paris Moderne marked the first time a significant collection of art deco objects from the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris toured the US. Included in the exhibition were enormous gold-lacquered panels made by Jean Dunand for the ocean liner Normandie, loaned by the museum for the first time. This exhibition of 83 works—including more than 40 paintings and works on paper, 30 pieces of furniture, 10 sculptures, and other decorative arts—celebrated the rich decorative style of Parisian interiors of the 1920s and ‘30s. Accompanying the furnishings were paintings by major artists, including Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Raoul Dufy, André Derain, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani, and Pablo Picasso.

Comprising a suite of five exquisitely decorated room environments, Paris Moderne immersed the viewer in the opulent lifestyle of affluent Parisians during this extraordinary period. The artworks in the exhibition included many images of women—formal portraits, nudes, or in settings—as well as landscapes, still-lifes, and abstract paintings, all in the various artistic styles of the day.

The Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris was built for the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. The collection reflects French—and, more recently, European—art of the 20th century. The museum houses a permanent collection representing art movements of the 20th century, including Fauvism, Cubism, Abstraction-Creation, the Lyric Abstraction, New Realism, Support-Surface, Arte Povera, and Conceptual Art.

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