Musée Estrine : Lumières sur les collections

Light is consubstantial with the practice of painting. The Flemish painters had already measured the importance of this natural medium by integrating cast shadows and chiaroscuro into their compositions. Later, contemporary artists who were part of the European avant-garde would use light as an additional tool. One example is Mario Merz, a figure of Arte Povera in the late 1960s, who combined neon with beeswax in his impressive installations. This year's display of the permanent collection will deal with the theme of light in all its shades... The Alpilles region has long attracted artists wishing to capture the Provençal light and capture it on canvas. Following in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh, André Marchand, the tutelary figure of the collections, will continue to dazzle us with his landscapes of Arles in the crackling sun, populated by Provençal bathers and goddesses, referring us to a whole history of the Mediterranean basin. The plastic retranscription of light by Léon Zack, James Guitet, Gérard Fromanger and Lucio Fanti will also illuminate the salons of the Hôtel Estrine.