Exposition "la sélection du public" au musée Regards de Provence

It's a first for the Musée Regards de Provence to involve its public so actively in the composition of an exhibition. This participation encourages greater involvement on the part of visitors, whose views are rich in meaning and insight.

In order to define a few key themes within a selection which, in principle, is necessarily eclectic/heterogeneous, the tour is organized according to a few major themes. This artistic and historical journey around part of the collection reveals landscapes of Marseille, the Mediterranean coast and the Provencal countryside. Emphasis is placed on the diversity of styles and movements, from naturalist landscape painters to Fauvist and Expressionist colorists, while also including contemporary works. This dialogue between eras highlights the evolution of the artistic view of the South, between realism, emotion and modern interpretations, paying tribute to the region's rich heritage and the Regards de Provence Collection.

The first section of the exhibition focuses on Marseille, its port life and daily life, through the works of major artists such as Gudin, Olive and Marquet, who captured the many facets of the Phocaean city. These paintings, oscillating between meticulous, almost photographic descriptions and more expressive, colorful visions, transport us to a Marseille of yesteryear, marked by its port, its trades and its unique light.

In parallel, the section dedicated to the Mediterranean coast explores the fascinating link between sea and coast through the ages. Artists such as Friesz, Seyssaud, Verdilhan and Valtat stand out, immortalizing seascapes in compositions ranging from Romanticism to Fauvism, offering a veritable ode to the changing, timeless beauty of the Mediterranean.

The exhibition extends to rural and inland Provence, a captivating territory for artists such as Guigou, Lombard and Chabaud. Inspired by Provençal light and scenes of daily life - washerwomen, transhumance or hunting - they painted naturalistic and romantic pictures.
Finally, this fascination with the South continues in contemporary art, where artists such as Bioulès and Piotr Klemensiewicz question and reinvent this heritage through modern and varied approaches. All these recent works bear witness to a Provence that is still alive and inspiring, uniting yesterday and today in a vibrant, timeless artistic celebration.