If you’re staying at the Hotel Interlude this autumn, don’t miss three major exhibitions being presented in the capital. You can enjoy abstract art by Hans Hartung at the Museum of Modern Art, a look at late 19th century Parisian life by Toulouse-Lautrec at the Grand Palais, and masterpieces created by the great Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre. The first artistic exhibitions of the 2019-2020 season are certainly rich in eclecticism and intensity.

 

Pioneering abstraction in the 20th century

A retrospective of Hans Hartung (1904-1989) launches the October 11th, 2019 reopening of the Musée d’Art Moderne following extensive renovation works. A 20th century pioneer of abstraction, Hans Hartung placed experimentation at the centre of his creative drive. During a sixty-year painting career, he strove to diversify the range of media, techniques and tools he could use to explore his chosen artistic domain. In the autumn of 2019, the Museum of Modern Art is showing to the public a beautiful collection of 300 works on loan from various collections as a follow-up to the acquisition in 2017 of four pieces by the artist. You will see oils on canvas and other graphic works, as well as sculptures, photographs, ceramics and archival documents. Access is free to holders of the Paris Museum Pass.

 

Parisian nightlife and more

We’ve often seen the posters advertising the dancers of the Moulin Rouge and the pleasures of Montmartre created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The famous painter, reveller and inveterate alcoholic, who delighted 1890s Paris with his scathing wit, was also an insightful witness to his time. In the exhibition Resolutely Modern at the Grand Palais, more than 200 works give us a fresh look at the scope of the artist and his influence on those who came later. For Toulouse-Lautrec, it was not just about the hedonism of the Belle Époque and Montmartre’s golden age, but also about examining all strata of society from the elite to the prostitutes he loved to portray. From his aristocratic family descended from counts of Provence to his passion for depicting the circus, there is much to learn about this singular French artist.

 

The masterpieces of the great Leonardo

His name comes spontaneously to the lips when talking about painting. In 2019, Leonardo da Vinci is the subject of an exhibition at the Louvre Museum marking the 500th anniversary of his death. The famous French museum is the ideal venue for such an exhibition as it owns the world’s largest collection of the great artist’s paintings. The exhibition is organised around five major works; the Virgin of the Rocks, the Belle Ferronnière, Saint John the Baptist, the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and, of course, the Mona Lisa, and is the culmination of extensive research work into the master's techniques. In addition, you can interact with the world's most famous painting during a virtual reality experience entitled Head-to-Head with the Mona Lisa. The Louvre is very easily accessible via Metro lines 1 and 8 from the Interlude.

 

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More information:

- Musée d'Art Moderne
- Grand Palais
- Musée du Louvre

Hotel L'Interlude, a 3-star hotel in the heart of the 12th arrondissement