Jacques-Émile Blanche at the Fondation Pierre Bergé-YSL

The new show at the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent presents the work of the portraitist Jacques-Émile Blanche. The first exhibition of his work in Paris since 1943, it focuses on the painter’s glory days prior to 1914 and features 70 paintings arranged in a magnificent turn-of-the-century setting, in which visitors will discover the young Proust, Claudel, Colette, Rodin, Cocteau, Debussy, Degas, Mallarmé, Louÿs and other major figures of the Belle Époque. Characters of the imaginary salon, densely hung in the nineteenth century style, and accompanied by an original sound montage by Karol Beffa and with an exclusive ‘olfactory ambiance’ created by Francis Kurkdjian. The exhibition conveys the candid regard of an extraordinary observer of his time, a world soon to be swept away by the First World War.
Until 27 Jan. 11am-6pm. Closed Mon. 7€/5€
Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, 3 rue Léonce Reynaud, 16th

Portrait de Marcel Proust, 1892. © ADAGP, Paris – RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay) / DR