With the City of Light as the main star, Impressionism: Paris and Modernity – Masterpieces of the Musanda d’Orsay presented to Brazil a set of 85 pieces of the French institution. The desire was to bring the soul of one of the most visited museums in the world to Brazilians and for this it was necessary to remove from their own walls the masterpieces, borrowed from the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center (CCBB) in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
The exhibition provided a detailed and exciting overview of impressionist and post-impressionist painting. The artists of this 19th century movement, which emerged in France in the 1870s, painted from their sensations and direct contact with the landscape, without the concern for the fidelity of the image. His works depicted Paris from different angles, from urban life to quiet in the countryside.
Separated into six modules, it was possible to meet great consecrated masters of French painting – three of them dedicated to presenting the effervescence of modern Parisian life, with paintings by Pierre-August Renoir and Edgar Degas, for example, and three others who showed painters who escaped the hustle and bustle of the city, such as Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet.
Undoubtedly, it was a unique opportunity, in which art lovers were able to confer the diversity of creation of this time in a grand exhibition, not only for its historical value, but also for its artistic importance.
Curated by the president and chief curator of the Musée, Guy Corgeval and Caroline Mathieu, and the director general of the Mapfre Foundation Culture Institute, Pablo Jiménez Burillo, the organization of the exhibition was the responsibility of Expomus, chosen by the director of the Musée museum and the MAPFRE Foundation.
Impressionism: Paris and Modernity had the support of the Ministry of Culture, through the Rouanet Law, and was only possible thanks to the idealization of Fundación MAPFRE and the Museu d’Orsay, the sponsorship of the Banco do Brasil insurance group and MAPFRE, Banco do Brasil and BBDTVM, and the support of Cielo and Brasilprev, with promotion of globo network.
With 886,226,000 visitors, at CCBB SP (4/8/2012 to 7/10/2012) and CCBB RJ (22/10/2012 to 13/1/2013), the exhibition was a record audience in the history of CCBB and won 4 awards: Best international exhibition, by the São Paulo Association of Art Critics – APCA; Best exhibition of 2012, by O Globo; Best exhibition of 2012 and Best event of the year 2012 by the Folha Guide – Popular Jury.