Communiqué de presse en anglais

Exhibition May-October 2013
Eguzon, La Châtre, Châteauroux, Guéret museums
Between Berry and Limousin
Creuse, a valley-studio 1830-1930
Romantic, impressionist and postimpressionist landscapes
Press release/ page 1/2
200 works gathered for the first time
Rediscovering an art movement
In the wake of Maurice Rollinat and George Sand, with the boom of outdoor painting, hundreds of impressionist
and postimpressionist artists, left their studios to move into the Creuse Valley, thus allowing the emergence of a
real “valley studio”. This long forgotten chapter in art history was brought to light in 1991 and 2012 by Christophe
Rameix’s works and later in 2013 by Jean-Marc Ferrer’s book on photography.
Four major figures
Claude Monet captured the Valley’s lights and developed the main concept of his career: his “series” paintings.
Subsequently, Armand Guillaumin embodied what was then called the Crozant School in the spirit of the Barbizon
or Pont-Aven schools of painters. Between 1909 and 1912, Francis Picabia, captured the “vibrations emitted by the
landscape”. Paul Burty Haviland, an American pictorialist photographer, worked on his landscape aesthetics in the
valley.
These four figures were surrounded by many other personalities, such as Maurice Sand, Théodore Rousseau,
Eugène Alluaud, Anders Osterlind, Louis Cabat, Emile Othon Friesz, Léon Detroy, Paul Madeline…
100 years of Art history, 200 works, 4 museums, 2 “départements” and 2 regions
Better than any other locations ever painted, the Creuse valley’s landscapes, untouched by industrialisation, have
retained their singularity and authenticity. The “Creuse, a valley-studio” exhibition presents chronologically the
different art movements which developed at the junction of the XIXth and XXth centuries, between Berry and
Limousin, with:
• Photographic art in the Creuse valley in Impressionist times
The Creuse Valley Museum, Eguzon
• From romanticism to academic realism
Ars Castle-Museum, La Châtre
• Impressionist paintings, the transcended light
Hôtel Bertrand –Museum, Châteauroux
• The postimpressionist valley
Art and archaeology museum, Guéret
Workshops are planned in September.
From landscape to art work and from art work to landscape
Through an itinerary of one’s own choosing, between art works and motifs, this event will offer a unique location, an
outdoor studio where contemporary artists still come to find their inspiration: Gilles Clément, Nils-Udo, Jean-
François Demeure…
Many events and activities will be organised in the context of this exhibition : Université Rurale du Paysage, with
Gilles Clément, Land Art by Nis-Udo, The “Pente Douce Festival”, parks and gardens, exhibitions and painters’
studios, interpretation paths, cruises on the Creuse river, “impressionist” rowing boats, conferences, improvised
“luncheons on the grass”!
Media tours in May 2013
Press contacts
Agence de presse Verbatim, Paris
Florence Rosenfeld : 06 07 01 65 65 / 01 44 61 70 26 florencerosenfeld@agenceverbatim.com
Mai Anh Tú : 01 44 61 70 62
maianhtu@agenceverbatim.com
Agences départementales du tourisme de la Creuse et de l’Indre
Béatrice Faury : 05 55 51 93 23
beatricefaury@tourisme-creuse.com
Aurélia Gaudio : 02 54 07 36 13
agaudio@berry.fr
Mission Vallée des Peintres
Laurence Fidry : 06 26 03 53 31
lfidry@cg23.fr
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Press release/ page 2/2
Curators:
The exhibition’s is co-curated by art historians Christophe Rameix and Jean-Marc Ferrer as well as museum
curators Hélène Clavaud, Annick Dussault, Michel Naturel and Catherine Wachs-Genest.
Coproduction:
Museums and councils of Châteauroux, La Châtre, Eguzon, Guéret, in partnership with:
-Conseil Général de la Creuse, Conseil Général de l’Indre,
-Conseil Régional du Centre, Conseil Régional du Limousin,
- the French State and the European Union, through the Loire Plan,
- the French Ministry of Culture trough DRAC* Limousin and DRAC* Centre,
and the support of Communauté de Communes du Pays Dunois,
and Creuse and Indre tourist agencies (ADRT 23 and ADTI 36).
* Regional Office of Cultural Affairs (Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles)
Event locations, dates and admission:
Hôtel Bertrand- Museum, Châteauroux : from May 4 to September 29
Ars Castle- Museum, La Châtre : from May to October 6
Musée de la Vallée de la Creuse, Eguzon : from May 11 to September 15
Art and archaeology museum, Guéret : from May 17 to September 15
Admission: free in Eguzon, La Châtre and Châteauroux. 3€ entrance fee in Guéret, except on the first Sunday of
each month, free admission.
Workshops:
September 7 th -8 th weekend
Creuse, a valley-studio. Its place in art history
On Saturday evening: Dinner and concert (9 pm) “Debussy, Ravel, impressionist music” by pianist Cyril Huvé
References:
Scientific and tourist references:
• Impressionnisme et postimpressionnisme dans la Vallée de la Creuse. Christophe Rameix. Editions C.
Pirot. 2012.
• http://bit.ly/sedelle (focus tableaux-motifs à 12’40’’)
• www.berryprovince.com - www.tourismecreuse.com
• http://www.tourismelimousin.com/fr/incontournables/documents/Vallee-des-peintres.pdf
• http://geo.culture-en-limousin.fr/Vallee-des-Peintres-entre-Berry-et
• http://geo.culture-en-limousin.fr/correspondance-a-Alice
Exhibition website:
www.expocreuse-valleeatelier.fr
Press contacts
Agence de presse Verbatim, Paris
Florence Rosenfeld : 06 07 01 65 65 / 01 44 61 70 26 florencerosenfeld@agenceverbatim.com
Mai Anh Tú : 01 44 61 70 62
maianhtu@agenceverbatim.com
Agences départementales du tourisme de la Creuse et de l’Indre
Béatrice Faury : 05 55 51 93 23
beatricefaury@tourisme-creuse.com
Aurélia Gaudio : 02 54 07 36 13
agaudio@berry.fr
Mission Vallée des Peintres
Laurence Fidry : 06 26 03 53 31
lfidry@cg23.fr
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