A cultural orgy.

My final weekend in Paris I had a threesome, visiting the Musee National Picasso-Paris, Fondation Louis Vuitton and Musee Marmatton Monet on a picture perfect Sunday.

The Picasso was a real highlight.

The museum is located in an impressive mansion in the Marais.

Beyond the Picasso masterpieces the interior features light fixtures and chairs for the gallery attendants designed by renowned sculptor, Alberto Giacometti’s brother, Diego.

In fact, Diego Giacometti’s last commission in 1985 was for the Picasso Museum.

The present exhibit features masterpieces of the Maya Ruiz-Picasso Fondation and is devoted to the relationship between Maya Ruiz-Picasso and her father, Pablo. The video with Maya Ruiz-Picasso’s voice over is the most informative and best produced piece that I have seen in an exhibition.

The artwork is organized chronologically and structured around the nine inherited masterpieces.

Each room sets the new pieces alongside groups of works from the museum’s collection.

The goal is to take an in-depth look at certain pivotal moments in Picasso’s life and career, exploring key aspects of his work such as his relation to tradition and to the portrait genre, his ultimately strained relationship with his daughter, his marriages/liaisons and his use of writing as part of the creative process.

I was very impressed with the small sampling of works by Farah Atassi (born 1981) which is on display at the museum. Picasso proved to be a huge influence on the young artist’s work.

The next stop was Fondation Louis Vuitton to view the Claude Monet/Joan Mitchell exhibit.

The exhibitions Monet-Mitchell creates an unprecedented dialogue between the works of two exceptional artists, Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Joan Mitchell (1925-1992).

Through some 60 works by both artists, the exhibition offers an immersive journey, emphasized by striking visual and thematic parallels.

Mitchell is now regarded as one of the most influential artistic figures of the second half of the twentieth century…I do not see it, but the Monet contrast was an interesting visual exercise.

The Musee Marmatton Monet mansion is in a lovely Parisienne neighborhood, dedicated to artist Claude Monet.

The collection features over three hundred Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings by Claude Monet.

Marmatton is the result of a donation in 1966 by Michel Monet, Claude’s second son and only heir.

Degas, Pissarro, Gauguin, Guillaumin, Renoir, Sisley are on display along with Berthe Morisot who was the first woman Impressionist. She sold relatively few works and has been under represented in museums. The Musee Marmatton is the exception.

As dictated by the will of the artist’s descendants, the museum houses the world’s leading collection of her work, including 25 oil paintings and 75 watercolors.

That ends the cultural part of today’s post.

Tomorrow we will go rogue and discuss food.