Entrada a la Casa de Berthe Morisot en Bougival

A very nice and informative moment as close as possible to our dear Berthe Morisot thanks to the many reproductions of his paintings throughout the journey in his house.

Beatrice, our Expert in Fine Arts, tells us about her invitation to visit the house of an exceptional artist, in Bougival, that of the first impressionist woman, Berthe Morisot (1841-1895). A holiday home, rented, every summer from 1881 to 1884 located at 1 Avenue de la Drionne, formerly, rue de la Princesse. In 1882, she stayed there for much of the year, with her husband Eugène Manet (1874-1892) and their daughter Julie. She painted about forty of her works there. Their daughter, Julie Manet (1878-1966), announced in her diary that she had remembered the happiest moments of her life. The city of Bougival owns it and after renovations, has just opened this house in a place of memory, of the artist. In the rooms of the house, through an interactive, multimedia route, are exhibited reproductions of works that evoke her life, as a mother, wife and friend, her family and artistic environment, with her achievements throughout her career, in the cultural life of the nineteenth century. Figure, feminine, major, the Impressionism that spread throughout the world, its pictorial revolution. A path open to the artistic vanguards of the early 20th century. A scenography built on the basis of a thematic journey, from the beautiful flower garden, to the workshop, to the veranda, like a bridge between the past and the future with the expression of fixing something, of what passes. Out of the frame, such as the vibrant light on a rose, the reading of evocative quotes, the illuminating consultation of the works. An olfactory signature with notes of bergamot, with the delicacy of the rose in the wake of vanilla, greedy, sensory immersion in the garden of the Impressionist where she painted the Fable, in 1883, Eugène Manet and his daughter, in the garden, in 1883, in the Veranda, in 1884, garden in Bougival in 1884 and also Rosestrémières. Born in 1841 in Bourges, she grew up in a bourgeois and cultivated family, her mother, Marie Joséphine Cornélie Thomas, and her father, Edmé Tiburce Morisot, who allowed her to receive, together with her sisters, an artistic education from an early age. Her talent was quickly recognized and she benefited from the influence of great masters, such as Camille Corot, who introduced her to outdoor painting. She managed to exhibit her first works in various salons, which allowed her to gradually become known and to establish valuable relationships, particularly with the family of Édouard Manet. At the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874 , which gave its name to the movement, she was the only woman to publicly exhibit her works alongside her male colleagues, including Claude Monet and Edgar Degas. The artist’s work consists of 25 paintings, and 65 watercolours, pastels and drawings. Berthe Morisot, a natural yet reserved man, had written in 1891 with a bitter lucidity: I don’t think there’s ever been a man calling a woman equal and that’s all I would have asked for, because I know I’m worth them.

A great success as this museum space, I spent a great time with the works (reproductions) of Berthe Morisot. The atmosphere that emerges from the place is very mild. I really liked the tactile animations which are very interesting. Through the canvases, we also discover the city of Bougival, which has changed little and much. What a pity the garden is gone! One small regret: there is no parking for bicycles. See if this can be improved.

TO DO - Superb modern museum in a beautifully renovated place. The mediations are modern having fun with the decor of the different rooms. The content is rich and very interesting: addressing history as art and painting techniques.