Masterpieces from Paris

[AstralTraveller (David)]

On Wednesday we went to Canberra to see the Masterpieces from Paris exhibition. Has anyone else been?

We had wanted to go earlier but family matters kept us from going until now, when it is getting very crowded. We queued for an hour and then it was very crowded inside - the room with the Cezannes and van Goghs was like a scrum. I'm not being critical because I understand the time is limited and it's great that so many people want to see great art, but I is hard to take in the beauty and emotion in a subway atmosphere. Got in at 2.30 and stayed to closing at 5. That was too little time to appreciate every thing. I didn't think it was all great but the good stuff more than made the trip worthwhile - in fact van Gogh's 'Starry Night' alone was worth the cost.

Towards closing time I realised that the first few rooms - where IMHO all the good pieces were - were getting very empty. So I got to look at the Monets and the Neo-Impressionists (esp Signac and Pissarro) and many of the Cezannes and van Goghs almost alone. However the crowd around 'Starry Night' never thinned out. That is one stunning work.

It really was an enjoyable day and has reminded me that I should spend more time appreciating the visual arts.

[ngcles]

Hi Dave,

Yep, we went last weekend and really enjoyed it. Very similar experience to your own. We arrived at 2.45pm on the Thursday and queued for 20mins to enjoy the exhibition until 5pm -- which was enough for me though I think my art-loving wife would perhaps have enjoyed another hour.

Agree, the best stuff was in the first two rooms which were the most crowded until 20 mins before close when they thinned right out. So I went back there and spent the last 20 mins there not quite in solitude but no "scrum" as you say.

Starry night on the Rhone is a wonderful work (spent a total of about 20 mins looking it) as is Van Gogh's self-portrait and painting of his room. Like you I also liked the Monet and Seurat works. The experience was well worth the time and money.

Parking was problematic though ...


Best,

Les D

[Liz]

Well done guys for getting there .... it sounded like it was very popular, as it should have been.
I would have liked to see them again, though have spent quite a bit of time at Musee d'orsay in Paris .... ah, memories.
I also did a bit of a Van Gogh trail in France, going to places where he lived and painted ... and died.

[gary]

Hi David,

We took the opportunity to see the exhibition in early February.
It was already popular but by comparison there was parking in the car park and
the waiting time at 10am was in the order of 15 minutes.

This is by comparison to others I have known who have gone in recent weeks
only to give up because the queue extended outside with a wait of up to several hours.

Nevertheless, what a stunning collection. Where else in Australia can you see
no less than six Van Gogh's hanging on the one wall!

Like Liz and others, I had also seen many of these works in Paris years ago but for many
Australians, it may well be their first opportunity to see works of this stature.

Covered by Australian Govt "Art Indemnity Australia" (AIA) which is designed
to provide access for Australians to exhibitions such as these, I would not be
surprised if they are the most heavily insured walls in the country at the moment.
Even with that sort of indemnity, it is incredible that the Musee d'Oray would
even let them out of their hands.

Thankfully the crowds were manageable enough on the day we were there that
we were able to pass through three times. The second and third times there was
no waiting at all and we were lucky enough on the third time to tag along with one
of the curators who was providing the guided tour commentary which provided
greater insight into these magnificent works.

As you mention, going to the exhibition would be worthwhile if just to
see "Starry Night over the Rhone".

However, there is another Van Gogh work, which is known as "Starry Night" or
"The Starry Night" which is arguably more famous and is part of the permanent
collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. I have also been lucky
enough to see this years ago in New York and it is truly breathtaking, dramatic,
disturbing, moving, beautiful and incredibly textured. Viewing on a computer screen
monitor just does not do it justice and the first time I saw it I stood there transfixed.
The skies swirl in that disturbing way that hints at Van Gogh's troubled state.
I then found myself wandering the rest of the Museum only to keep coming back to
look at it again and again. This particular painting is also the one the Don McLean
ballad "Vincent" refers to.

By the way, apart from the Starry Night theme, there is another astronomical
connection with the current exhibition in Canberra. Just next door is the Questacon
Science museum and hanging on the walls there up the spiral stairwell is a fabulous
collection of astronomical images from the David Malin awards, including entries
by many IceInSpace members including our very own Mike Salway and Mike Sidonio,
et. al.

So one could go to Canberra and see Van Gogh's, Gauguins, Cezannes, Salways
and Sidonios!

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Mt. Kuring-Gai, NSW

[GrahamL]

I'd love to go see it .. so its only the national gallery it visits ?

when we travellel to Brisbane to see Pablo Picasso's collection
we arrived before opening and while having to join a smallish queue
it did empty into an empty gallery so I'll definately try and do that again.. way to many school kids later in the day .

[gary]

Originally Posted by nightstalker

I'd love to go see it .. so its only the national gallery it visits ?

Hi Graham,

Alas, only at the National Gallery and the season has been extended, but only until 18th April 2010.

It is four entire galleries filled with some of the greatest impressionist pieces ever painted.

See http://nga.gov.au/Exhibition/MASTERPIECESfromPARIS/

If going, highly recommend purchasing tickets online beforehand. Ticket purchases
are good for one days visit on any day you choose. In other words, when you purchase
a ticket, you do not have to nominate what day you will go.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Gary,

The ticket arrangements are differnt in the last two weeks. They are timed tickets and you must arrive within a half hour of the time on the ticket. I assume you get to chose the time and I assume there is a limit to the number of tickets for a given time. Best to check garefully before buying the ticket.

[gary]

Originally Posted by AstralTraveller

Gary,

The ticket arrangements are differnt in the last two weeks. They are timed tickets and you must arrive within a half hour of the time on the ticket. I assume you get to chose the time and I assume there is a limit to the number of tickets for a given time. Best to check garefully before buying the ticket.

Hi David,

Thanks for the heads-up on the ticketing arrangement having been changed
which is excellent information for those who are yet to go.

With the queues extending way out into the sculpture garden, it is appreciated
they had to make some changes.

It is also worth pointing out that the rest of the gallery is worth the time to
visit as well with many art works to enjoy plus a few to ponder over with that
timeless question, "but is it art?"

[Wavytone]

Saw it a few months ago, and afterwards headed upstairs for the Tom Roberts and Streetons.

I think what makes some paintings great - in the eye of the beholder - are those that have something of immediate personal relevance to you, that you love; a place, person, or activity that evokes strong happy memories.

The same applies to photos IMHO.

[Redshift (Phil)]

After we saw the exhibition in Feb. we went over to the National Portrait Gallery、just next door. It’s really worth a visit if you have never been.

[rogerg (Roger)]

We are in Canberra for NACAA and have been considering if we'll go or not. My Wife stood in line for 30mins the other day but ran out of time so left before getting in. We have Tuesday free in Canberra that we could go to it, but it's a lot of time to spend just going to that when I haven't seen anything else of Canberra myself and there's lots of other stuff we'd like to do like going to Tidbinbilla, war mamorial, national gallery (normal area), parliament house, etc. So, I think in all likelyhood we're going to have to give it a miss

[Kal (Andrew)]

I went down there to see it about 6 weeks ago. I thought it was a great exhibition, well worth the trip from Sydney. I also spent some time looking around the rest of the gallery seeing the other regular exhibitions such as Sidney Nolan's Ned Kelly series (which I thought was crap!) and visiting the National War memorial.

[Liz]

Told girl at work that the exhibition had been extended, and she immediatly booked her plane ticket and accommodation to head down to see this magnificent collection!!

[Rodstar (Rod)]

I went just after the exhibition opened in early January. Like others, I thought Van Gogh's paintings were the standout, especially the Starry Night over the Rhone, and the Bedroom at Arles paintings. I am also a big fan of Pierre Bonnard and Eduard Villuard, who were members of a movement known as the Nabis. I spent a lot of time with them. Villuard in particular has a way of painting in which he captures the textures of the room he is painting, and has a wonderful sense of shape and design.

I was so inspired by the French theme that I came back all pumped up to learn french. I have just started conversation lessons with a native french speaker/qualified teacher who used to run course with the Alliance Francaise in Sydney. I am hoping to get to France in the next couple of years, and see some of the galleries there too!

[Liz]

Bonjour Rod, and good on you ... its great to be inspired!!
I did the same and had French lessons with the Alliance Francaise in Townsville, combined with a bit of schoolgirl French. Spent 6 weeks travelling around France 3 yrs ago, and loved it .... didnt end up speaking much French though, just the basic works which they were happy with
Didnt know the artists you mentioned, so will have a look at them.

[RB (Andrew)]

Great to read everyone's reports.

My wife and I really wanted to go and see this exhibition and to take the kids to see it too.
Unfortunately we just can't get away to see it atm.

[Octane (Humayun)]

Just got back from the exhibition.

Wow. Brought back a flood of memories of my backpacking trip all over Europe where I spent an enormous amount of time in art galleries and museums all over the continent.

The standout, without a doubt, was Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhone. This one painting stood out in the entire gallery all by itself. No photograph can ever do this painting justice. The blues are unlike any blues you've seen. The thick and lavish brushstrokes sparkle when lit by the gallery lighting which further adds to the charm and theme of the masterpiece.

All the Monet's were inspirational, especially the London Parliament at sunrise with fog, and, Water Lily Pond.

I also enjoyed Gustave Moureau's Orpheus, too. The photograph does no justice to the wonderfully diffused almost golden light that Moureau's managed to portray in the composition. It's sublime.

I kept going back to Starry Night Over the Rhone, however. What a captivating painting!

The crowds were pretty bad this morning/afternoon. It was chockers. But, a bit of patience whilst listening to the audio guide made it all worthwhile.

H

[Paddy (Patrick)]

Originally Posted by Octane

The standout, without a doubt, was Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhone. This one painting stood out in the entire gallery all by itself. No photograph can ever do this painting justice. The blues are unlike any blues you've seen. The thick and lavish brushstrokes sparkle when lit by the gallery lighting which further adds to the charm and theme of the masterpiece.

I kept going back to Starry Night Over the Rhone, however. What a captivating painting!

H

Definitely the stand out for me too, although there were many beautiful works. And many people. I went 2 weeks ago on a weekday. I can't imagine it on a weekend.

[Liz]

Originally Posted by Octane

The standout, without a doubt, was Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhone. This one painting stood out in the entire gallery all by itself. No photograph can ever do this painting justice. The blues are unlike any blues you've seen. The thick and lavish brushstrokes sparkle when lit by the gallery lighting which further adds to the charm and theme of the masterpiece.

H

Great to hear Humayan!!
I caught the train from Avignon to Arles for the day, and did the Van Gogh trail, so stood in the spot where he painted 'Starry Night' - magic!

Good to hear you went to Paddy

Friend of mine from work flys down to Canberra today to have a look. Very envious would have loved to have gone, but unable.