Paintings from Normandy in Lviv

The Andrey Sheptytsky Lviv National Museum (20 Svobody Ave.) hosts the “Art in Normandy” collection which includes Claude Monet, Eugene Boudin, Theodore Gericault, Gustave Courbet, Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, Raoul Dufy, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Jules Noel, and Charles Pecrus thanks to whom Normandy became the birthplace of the main trends in the 20th-century fine arts – realism, romanticism, impressionism, and postimpressionism.

The exposition shows the nuances in the development of these trends and the changes that eventually led to the emergence of modernism in the 20th century. The paintings show seaside coasts, countryside and urban views, as well as genre scenes and still lifes. The exhibit was organized by the French Institute in Ukraine. “In the 20th century, artists fled from the advance of industry on large cities and sought refuge in Normandy,” the organizers say. “Thus, they wanted to feel close to nature and develop their abilities, painting en plein air and trying to capture and fix on canvas the fleeting impressions and color variations of these northern landscapes.” Collection of paintings under the title “Art in Normandy” which includes 120 canvases dating from the 1750s to the 1950s was founded in 1992 by the Regional Council of Lower Normandy. The collection was placed in the former convent Abbaye aux Dames. The convent has over 10,000 visitors each year. According to art experts, the exhibition “Art in Normandy” is a unique collection of art works which travels around the world as a collection that represents the birth of Impressionism in France. In particular, in the post-Soviet countries the exhibition was a great success in Tallinn, Riga, and Minsk. The exhibition has had a considerable success also in Lviv. It will be open at the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum until August 26. Then it will go to Kyiv and Donetsk.