Musée d’Orsay Gala Celebrates Van Gogh
Paloma Picasso, Betty Catroux, Antoine Arnault and Natalia Vodianova were among the guests at the annual fundraiser.
The Musée d'Orsay in Paris is home to some of Vincent Van Gogh's most famous paintings, but its new temporary exhibition offers a deep dive into the artist's final days in the village of Auvers-sur-Oise, a fertile two months in which he produced a staggering 74 paintings and 33 drawings.
The depth and variety of the works on show surprised even art connoisseurs like Paloma Picasso, who was among the guests who toured the exhibition before the annual Société des Amis du Musée d'Orsay fundraising gala on Monday night.
“There were quite a few things I knew, but a lot that I didn't, and I was thrilled I came early to see it because there are some absolutely fabulous paintings,” she said, noting that it was the first time she had seen a series of oblong canvases known as double-squares.
Madison Cox, president of the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, noted that Van Gogh shows have historically been blockbusters for the museums that organize them.
“But an exhibition like this shows you that it's kind of like Picasso: these are artists that go beyond a period, go beyond a movement,” he marveled. “The talent of the man, it was just totally mad, totally innovative.”
Also among the guests were LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton scion Antoine Arnault and his wife, model and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova; former prime minister François Fillon, as well as YSL muses Betty Catroux and Kirat Young.
Jacques Grange said he recently finished decorating Paloma Picasso's apartment in Paris, and is also restoring the 17th-century mansion in Paris that was formerly home to Bernard Tapie, the disgraced businessman who once owned sportswear giant Adidas. Its new proprietor is French billionaire François Pinault.
In addition, the interior designer is working with Cox on a project for film magnate Jérôme Seydoux. The Bois des Moutiers, an Arts and Crafts home in Normandy that comes with a 30-acre park, is set to reopen its gardens to the public next year.
At the dinner after the visit, Countess Jacqueline de Ribes, honorary president of the friends of the Musée d'Orsay, offered a poignant summary of Van Gogh's life that earned her a standing ovation from the well-heeled crowd.
“Talking about Van Gogh moves me deeply, that's why I have indulged in a rather long speech,” she said. Switching to English for emphasis, she declared of the exhibition: “It's one in a lifetime.”