The exhibition is part of the events organized to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Séraphine Louis, said Séraphine de Senlis (1864-1942). An organ of the year, she recounts the career of this housekeeper who had an extraordinary and dramatic destiny at once.
It's been 25 years since Senlis honored this atypical artist.Seraphine is known all over the world, especially thanks to the success of Martin Provost's eponymous film whose title role is interpreted with sensitivity and retained by actress Yolande Moreau.
Self-taught artist, Seraphine Louis was noticed in 1912 by German collector and art merchant Wilhelm Uhde (1874-1947) while she was his housekeeper. But World War I came, forcing Uhde to leave France to return to Germany. He did not find him again. Seraphine than 1927 at an exhibition by the Société des Amis des Arts in Senlis. The work of this original hits his aesthetic look. The following year he promoted it by associating it with other self-taught painters (Camille Bombois, André Bauchant and Louis Vivin) whom he presented under the name of Modern Primitives.
As a result of his first successes, Seraphine creates large formats representing a blooming and colourful flora, enriched with feathers. His compositions are becoming more complex. His willingness to faithfully represent the motives diminishes. Its tropical and paradisiacal vegetation has flamboyant and bright colours. Seraphine sets her "inner reality" on the canvas, as Wilhelm Uhde points out, imprinted by her attachment to nature and her spiritual aspirations.
In addition to the permanent collection of Museum of Art and Archaeology, composed of the donations of Anne-Marie Uhde from his brother Wilhelm's collection, and purchases supported by the city of Senlis and LAssociation of Friends of the Museum of Art and Archaeology, works from particular collections, for some never referenced, are also exceptionally presented. Maillol Museum in Paris, rich of an important fund gathered by Dina Vierny, Museum of Art and Archaeology by lending six major paintings of the work of Seraphine Louis.
Finally, in collaboration with TS Productions, memories of Martin Provost's film – costumes, accessories, scripts, photographs... – will be gathered around the artist's works.
Guided tour of the exhibition, 14h30 :
- Wednesday, 10 September
- Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September (Heritage Days: 11h, 14h and 17(h)
- Wednesday 8 and Friday 24 October
- Wednesday 5 and Friday 21 November
- Friday, 5 and Friday, 19 December
- Wednesday 7 and Friday 23 January
Reservation recommended on 03 44 24 86 72 or by email, musees@ville-senlis.fr
Museum admission fees: Full price: 4€ / Reduced rate: 2€ / Free for children under 18 years of age