It’s spring awakening in Paris for 2023 as the season comes alive with a plethora of cultural events. Here are three notable museum exhibitions happening now:
Sur Les Routes de Samarcande. Merveilles de soie et d’or
The Arab World Institute is a museum dedicated to promoting the art and culture of 18 Arab countries and is housed in a modern building in the Latin Quarter designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.
Their current exhibition, Sur Les Routes de Samarcande, Merveilles de soie et d’or ("On the roads of Samarkand, Wonders of silk and gold"), presents an extraordinary collection of over 300 unique silk and gold treasures from Uzbekistan. Spanning close to 12,000 square feet on two floors, the rare collection includes robes, tapestries, carpets, jewelry, dresses, head pieces, swords and horse saddles. The exhibition focuses on the significance of Uzbekistan as a center of artisanal crafts, specializing in gold embroidery from the early 1800s to the early 20th century. Turkestan, a territory of Uzbekistan became an important destination for artists and craftspeople in the early 1900s with art schools opening in the 1920s, whereby artists painted the rich landscapes of the area.
Sur Les Routes de Samarcande, Merveilles de soie et d’or is on until June 4. Visit www.imarabe.org/sur-les-routes-de-samarcande-merveilles-de-soie-et-d-or.
1997 Fashion Big Bang
Palais Galliera, the official fashion museum of Paris, housed in a spectacular palace from 1894, has just launched its spring and summer exhibition.
1997 Fashion Big Bang explores 1997, a breakthrough year in the fashion world. At the time, several longstanding Paris fashion houses sought out a breed of young and exuberantly talented designers to breathe new life into their brands to attract a younger and more modern customer. Ironically, two British designers were chosen: Alexander McQueen at Givenchy and John Galliano at Christian Dior. Their premiere collections from 1997 were a smash hit, with extensive global media coverage, turning them into overnight fashion superstars of the future. In Antwerp, Belgium, a crop of young designers upended traditional fashion looks by deconstructing them and adding a bit of humor, making a name for themselves, including Martin Margiela and Ann Demeulemeester. At the avant garde Comme des Garcons in Japan, Rei Kawakubo exaggerated the female form by adding deliberate padding to the waist, derrieres and bust, using bold patterns and colors. Over in Italy, Gianni Versace designed his last collection of slinky, body-clinging clothes before his tragic assassination, while Tom Ford was creating sexy collections echoing the glamour of the 1970s for a new generation of Gucci fans.
1997 Fashion Big Bang at Palais Galliera is happening until July 16. Visit www.palaisgalliera.paris.fr/1997-fashion-big-bang.
Matisse. Cahiers d’art, le tournant des années 30
Henri Matisse was at an impasse with his work in the late 1920s, and in 1930 he left France, traveling to the United States and Tahiti. At the same time, the art magazine Cahiers d’art celebrated Matisse in several of their issues helping him restore his status as one of the great artists of the time alongside Georges Braque, Mondrian, Juan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Fernand Léger and Marcel Duchamp.
Now, at Musée de l'Orangerie, over 50 rarely seen works, including paintings, drawings and sculptures, are presented in the "Matisse. Cahiers d’art, the pivotal 1930s" exhibition from the specific time period from 1930 to approximately 1940.
Musée de l'Orangerie's Matisse/Cahiers d’art exhibit is open until May 29. Visit www.musee-orangerie.fr/matisse-cahiers-dart-pivotal-1930s.
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