Modernity and the belle époque: an on-site art seminar in Paris, France, with Giulia Bernardini

  • Immerse yourself in the art and architecture of the Parisian belle époque – the turbulent decades of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Explore major and less-known works by artists at museums and sites including the Orsay, Marmottan Monet, Orangerie, Rodin, Louvre, Montmartre and Monet’s garden at Giverny. Indulge in mouth-watering meals and enjoy a private cooking lesson and lunch Montmartre, in the shadow of the famed Sacré Coeur.
  • Stay in chic comfort at the adorable, award-winning boutique Hôtel Signature St. Germain des Prés in the bustling, centrally-located seventh arrondissement.
  • Savor free time in recommended bistros, cafés, pâtisseries, boutiques, and further art options all hand-picked for you by Giulia in her Inside Scoop.
  • Explore literary selections culled by Giulia to expand your understanding of the art and architecture you will encounter.
  • Share the experience with a small group of a maximum of ten like-minded explorers.
  • Prices and dates forthcoming – subscribe to our newsletter for updates.

Modernity and the belle époque

Throughout the 1800s until the eve of the Great War, France experienced intense socio-political tension and transformation. Against a backdrop of imperial and republican struggles for power, Paris grew into a sprawling urban center of glittering cafés-concerts, elegant parks, and endless shop-lined boulevards populated by laboring and bourgeois classes with expendable income and leisure time, as well as often opposing ideas about modern society and politics.

Positing themselves as society’s cultural pioneers opposite the ‘academic tradition’ were the artists of the Parisian belle époque‘s avant-garde: the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Symbolist, Fauvist, Cubist, and Orphist, painters, sculptors, architects, musicians, and authors whose self-imposed task it was to translate this new state of modernity into their chosen media.

For one unforgettable week we will explore the works and stories of the artists and architects responsible for changing the face of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Paris and beyond. In museums and monuments, brasseries and cafés we’ll see the influence of the city on the art being made and learn how the artists, architects, photographers, musicians, and collectors of the belle époque built the foundations for twentieth century modernism.

Join us for this unmissable experience. Contact Giulia at [email protected] or click on ‘Contact Us’ below for more information.

I look forward to seeing you at the banquet…

Giulia

Contact Us