Paris on Paper   07.10.2023 – 18.02.2024

Paris on Paper

Around 1900, Paris stood as the epicentre of modernity, a globally renowned metropolis of art. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, several generations of painters were drawn to the city on the Seine. Through the exhibition “Paris on Paper“ the Cabinet of Kunsthalle Bremen showcases a panorama of graphic works from its own collection, ranging from Constantin Guys to Mary Cassatt and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, illustrating life in the French metropolis.

“Paris on Paper“ illustrates the triumph of printmaking in the 19th century, spanning from etching to colourful lithography. The artworks by these artists revive the splendour of the Belle Époque within the Parisian operas, parks, and bustling boulevards. Simultaneously, they vividly portray the tensions and social inequalities of society, often embodied in the dynamic interactions between the depicted women and men. The observed scenes are given a universal significance through the driving forces of power, greed, excess, and exuberant joy of life.
The exhibition accompanies the major exhibition “Celebration: Monet to Van Gogh“ celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Kunstverein in Bremen, spotlighting graphic works that were early acquisitions of the Kunstverein or were acquired by Bremen collectors such as Alfred Walter Heymel (1878–1914) and Hermann Henrich Meier jr. (1845–1905).