French embrace Impressionist Art

A Guardian report argues that "the French critical elite has rejected the Impressionists twice since they burst onto the global art scene in a haze of colour and brushstrokes: first in the 19th century, because they were too radical, and then, in the 20th, because they were not radical enough. Now, however, the country that gave birth to Claude Monet and his circle of painters is undergoing something of a conversion. And, in an attempt to reassess the legacy of some of its most celebrated – and bankable – artists, France is preparing itself for a summer of repentance, rosy skies and record-breaking ticket sales. From next week onwards, Normandy will erupt in a four-month celebration of the painters who were drawn to its light and landscapes to create some of their best-known works. Around 300 art exhibitions, concerts and events will be held throughout the region, chiefly a show at Rouen's Musée des Beaux-Arts showcasing, among other works, 11 of Monet's studies of the city's cathedral.An accompanying exhibition at Paris's Musée Marmottan, due to start in mid-June, will explore the influence of the Impressionists on 20th-century figures such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. The crowning event of the season will be held under the glass dome of the Grand Palais, where the first French Monet art retrospective for 30 years will open to the public in September. Experts are insisting the reasons for the change of heart are purely artistic. More prosaically, French museums know the Impressionists offer a failsafe way of refilling their depleted coffers". For full source and full article click the Headline. Irish Art