De la scène à la toile. Artistes et mondaines de la Belle Époque

The Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret's new exhibition celebrates the splendors of the Belle Époque (1871-1914), a period that forms one of the core elements of its collections. Donations from artists, collectors and socialites offer a glimpse - limited and subjective - of this fantasized era and of Nice's cosmopolitanism. Featuring carnivalesque scenes as well as portraits of famous composers and foreign princesses, the exhibition puts the spotlight on talented lyrical and dramatic artists who, through the worldwide recognition they achieved, exerted an unprecedented independence and authority. The question of representation thus extends from the stage to the art of portraiture, from spectacle to self-projection, and also reveals the importance of fashion, culminating in the second half of the 19th century with the development of confection, ancestor of ready-to-wear, and the emergence of haute couture. Portraitists immortalized their models in theatrical costumes, disguises, festive garb, formal wear or the very latest in modernity, providing them with the ultimate, eternal stage setting on canvas.