Latest news with #Matisse
Globe and Mail
05-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Unsung art dealer Berthe Weill, the first to sell a Picasso, finally gets her due
In theory, it's important to support emerging artists. In practice, those who specialize in such support – a small press, an indie theatre, an early-career commercial art dealer – often find themselves abandoned by the most beautiful butterflies when they burst from the chrysalis. No hard feelings, but an artist will naturally seek the most prominent venue possible. The early 20th-century Parisian art dealer Berthe Weill seems to have suffered from this reality. To judge from an exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts devoted to artists she sometimes represented or works that may have passed through her hands, Weill had a keen eye, a soft heart and not much of a head for business. She was the first dealer to sell a Picasso, when he was a mere 19 and a figurative painter, and she gave him one of his first shows, in 1902, but never represented his mature work. Matisse, whom she showed repeatedly over the years, said you couldn't make a living off what you sold through the Galerie B. Weill, a small cluttered shop in Montmartre that also offered antiques and books. Those artists who could do so needed to move on. And yet Weill lent her early support – aesthetic and financial – to some of the greatest names of 20th-century art, while also showing lesser-known figures of the same milieu. Reconstructing her career for the exhibition was a massive task for independent scholar Marianne Le Morvan, MMFA curator Anne Grace and colleagues at New York University's Grey Art Museum and the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris. First of all, Weill did not keep proper business records of what she bought, exhibited and sold. To determine what paintings passed through her gallery, the scholars relied partly on her 1933 memoir Pan! dans l'oeil! (Pow! Right in the Eye!), partly on the existing research about the more famous artists she showed and partly on documents such as flyers and invitations. For example, in 1917 she organized a show for Amedeo Modigliani that included, among many other works, four nudes with visible body hair. When crowds gathered outside the gallery's windows to gawk, the local police chief intervened and Weill was forced to take the paintings down. Today, there are eight Modigliani nudes in existence that might fit this description: The MMFA has secured the loan of Nude with Coral Necklace from the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio. It may – or may not – have been shown by Weill, but you get the idea. The room devoted to the Fauves, the strongest in this exhibition, includes Raoul Dufy's familiar scene of a street in Le Havre decked out with French flags for Bastille Day, now in the Centre Pompidou in Paris. It's a work with which Weill had a clear link: It was painted during a period when she was actually visiting Dufy's companion not far away in the town of Falaise, waiting for the artist to make enough sales to join them and, according to her memoir, delighted when he showed up with fresh paintings. Meanwhile, if the early Picasso room is so complete – including a fine still life executed at the age of 19 or 20 and such Blue Period classics as the Art Gallery of Ontario's Crouching Beggarwoman or The Blue Room from the Phillips Collection in Washington – it is because Picasso's art is so well tracked. (Both these latter pieces were included in the AGO's research-heavy Blue Period show in 2021.) Yet there is a certain sad irony in that room – or in the presence of a handful of early works by Matisse, including a late-afternoon view of Notre Dame, all executed a few years before that artist developed his signature style. With the benefit of hindsight, the visitor knows exactly what Weill missed out on when these artists took other work down the hill to Ambroise Vollard, the most recognized Parisian dealer of contemporary art before the First World War, or Paul Guillaume and the Rosenberg brothers, Paul and Léonce. Weill also exhibited artists who never made the big time – or remain lesser-known today. Several are women: Weill actively supported female artists, including Suzanne Valadon, whose work was championed by Degas and Renoir, for whom she had modelled, and the mercurial Émilie Charmy, represented here by several dramatic self-portraits. These seem a bit self-indulgent. Charmy's portrait of her great supporter, Weill herself, is stronger work, capturing a solid and intelligent figure with notable economy. The MMFA purchased the Weill portrait from the artist's grandson for this exhibition. In this unusual mix of the famous and not famous, the canonical and the forgotten, there are passages of weakness or regret – no mature Picasso, with Cubism represented by minor practitioners, and some fussier works from the gallery's last years in the 1930s – but there are also hidden gems. In that room with the early Matisse view of Notre Dame, the really impressive cityscape is by his less well-known friend Albert Marquet. Small Square with a Street Lamp, Paris is a beautifully balanced 1904 composition from the National Gallery of Canada, depicting an empty square at a spot where the countryside was giving way to the growing city, the new buildings casting long afternoon shadows. Later there is a remarkable Cubist street scene by none other than Diego Rivera, one of the expats Weill showed. The powerful painting is broken into overlapping rectangles, like a series of postcards, and shows a view down a narrow street that culminates in the Eiffel Tower as the Mexican artist grapples with both analytic Cubism and the civic architecture of Paris. It's a fascinating footnote of art history because after his early years championing Cubism, Rivera went on, as an illustrative muralist, to work in a very different style. That is the strength of this exhibition: It shows you the new Parisian art of 1900 to 1940 as it happened – the good, the bad and the indifferent. We are so used to seeing museum presentations of the canonical and the famous, it's worth remembering that, in the moment, few of us know what is fleeting and what will endure. After all, Ambroise Vollard himself gave up on Vincent van Gogh. Weill's best-known artists left for greener pastures, but the community did not abandon her. She was Jewish and was forced to close the gallery in 1941 during the occupation of France, a period when she managed to slip under the Nazis' radar, living in hiding in Paris. Immediately after the war, an art lovers' society organized a benefit auction to support her, recognizing her work encouraging emerging artists, and she was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1948. It was only her due – like this exhibition. Berthe Weill, Art Dealer of the Parisian Avant-garde continues at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts to Sept. 7.
NZ Herald
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
How the modern masters inspired New Zealand artists
Through the eyes of a painter Ginny Fisher talks to four leading New Zealand painters about how artists such as Matisse, Monet and Gauguin – whose masterpieces all appear in A Century of Modern Art – changed the course of painting as we know it and inspired their own work.
Scottish Sun
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
BGT's most shocking final moments ever from gruesome mid-air disaster to dog owner pelted with DEATH threats after win
AFTER a mammoth five weeks of semi-finals, the Britain's Got Talent final is finally here. Tonight's supersized show - which runs for two hours and 45 minutes - will see the finalists battling it out for a chance to perform at The Royal Variety Show and a £250,000 cash prize. 13 The Blackouts also got through the first semi-final Credit: Tom Dymond 13 Judge Simon Cowell was pelted with eggs during the 2013 final Credit: ITV 13 The protest was planned by Natalie Holt Credit: Rex Features Comedian Joseph Charm and singers Jasmine Rice and Stacey Leadbetter are up against nine-year-old dancer Benita Chetry, Other acts include, Ping Pong Pang, who combine table tennis skills with dance, and the Hear Our Voice choir, which is made up of 39 people who have been impacted by the Post Office scandal. As well as creating stars like Susan Boyle and Diversity, the show's final has had its own fair share of controversies over the years. We take a look back at all of the biggest controversies that plagued the show's finale and proved you really do have to go big or go home. Egg throwing Singing duo Richard and Adam were in the middle of their moving rendition of The Impossible Dream during the series seven final, when one of their supporting musicians rushed to the front of the stage to pelt Simon Cowell with eggs. Natalie Holt was escorted from the stage by security, and later admitted she had planned to launch her protest against the music mogul after they finished their performance. She apologised profusely for spoiling their big moment but she had no such remorse for Simon, telling the Guardian that she had pelted him because he has too much power and influence in the entertainment industry. She also revealed she had been asked to mime during the performance which made it easy for her to put down her violin to pull the organic eggs from her tights. But she thanked Simon for not pressing charges. She added: 'As an act of goodwill I would also be happy to offer to pay for his dry cleaning bill or buy him a new shirt, maybe with a few more buttons at the top.' Doggy double Britain's Got Talent branded a 'fix' by fuming viewers after 'wrong act' gets through to finals 13 2015 Britain's Got Talent finalist Jules O'Dwyer and Matisse Credit: Splash News 13 A different dog was used for part of the final act Credit: PA:Press Association Outraged viewers felt cheated when it transpired that they had been misled by winner of series nine, Jules O'Dwyer, about her dancing dog Matisse. The winning performance included a tightrope walk but it was revealed the next day that a different dog stepped in for that part of the act. Jules defended her decision to employ a stand in, stating that the real Matisse was afraid of heights. Ofcom received hundreds of complaints over the 2015 incident, with people even sending death threats to the pair. It was ruled that ITV had misled the public - though Jules was not stripped of her £250,00 prize money. Shock injury 13 The team members collided in mid-air during a stunt Credit: Rex 13 The South Korean group lost out to singer Sydnie Christmas in the 2024 final Credit: Rex Performance troupe Ssaulabi were midway through their stunt-filled routine when two of its members collided mid-air, with horrific consequences. One teammate fell to the stage and landed awkwardly on his foot, before trying to stand up and collapsing. Judge Alesha Dixon recoiled in horror as the performer was forced to crawl off the stage in agony. It was later revealed he had broken his foot. A BGT statement issued the following morning read: "During last night's live final, a member of Ssaulabi Performance Troupe was injured. "He was quickly seen by our onsite medical team before going to hospital for further treatment. All at BGT wish him a speedy recovery.'" Fix claims 13 Kojo Anim was in the 2020 BGT final Credit: Rex Features 13 Alesha was accused of voting for Kojo because he was her friend When comedian Kojo Anim was voted through to the final in 2020, judge Alesha Dixon was accused of voting for him because they are good friends. Alesha reportedly knew Kojo through her husband, dancer Azuka Ononye, and she toldher fellow judges and the audience: 'I have known Kojo for many, many years.' The Mis-teeq singer was also accused of favouritism when she sent contestant Lifford Shillingford through to the final with her golden buzzer. It later emerged Alesha already knew Lifford from back in the day when he'd supported Mis-teeq on tour. Alesha hit back though and said: "He's not a friend. That sounds cold, but I don't have his phone number. "I haven't seen him in years. When I say I know him, I know his music. I remember him from back in the day. There were shows that Mis-Teeq were doing that he was too. There was just a mutual respect and understanding between us." Anonymous blog 13 An anonymous blog claimed the star knew Simon Cowell before the show Credit: ITV 13 Ronan Parke performed on the show in 2011 Credit: ITV Back in 2011, an anonymous blogger accused child star Ronan Parke of having connections to show boss Simon Cowell before appearing for the show. Ronan was the runner-up after losing out to Scottish singer Jai McDowall in the final. The blogger claimed to be an anonymous Sony Music source who said that no act had won the show who hadn't been an "invited or preferred" contestant. And they claimed that Simon had known Ronan for two years and that the youngster had signed a deal with his record label. After being questioned by police, the blogger apologised and admitted having no connection to Cowell, Syco or Ronan. A spokeswoman for Sony Music said at the time: "A man has now admitted responsibility for the wholly untrue blogs relating to Ronan Parke and the false allegations against Britain's Got Talent, Sony Music and Syco. He has admitted he has absolutely no connection with Ronan Parke, Sony Music, Syco, or Britain's Got Talent.' Nepo baby claims 13 BGT bosses defended Issy after Nepo baby hate Credit: PA:Press Association 13 Issy Simpson during the audition stage for ITV1's talent show Credit: PA:Press Association In 2017, eight-year-old Issy Simpson won her place in the final after stunning the audience and judges by reading Simon Cowell's mind. But her joy at making it to the final was tarnished after it was revealed that her grandad was well known in the magic world and was the main magic man behind the scenes for BGT. BGT bosses defended Issy and said she had won her spot fair and square saying: 'Russ Stevens (Issy's grandad) is a magic expert, who was used as a freelance magic consultant for two shows only in 2014. He has not been contracted since. 'Issy went through the same process as any other act and was judged on her performance on the day.'
The Irish Sun
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
BGT's most shocking final moments ever from gruesome mid-air disaster to dog owner pelted with DEATH threats after win
Loading the AFTER a mammoth five weeks of semi-finals, the Britain's Got Talent final is finally here. Tonight's supersized show - which runs for two hours and 45 minutes - will see the finalists battling it out for a chance to perform at The Royal Variety Show and a £250,000 cash prize. 13 The Blackouts also got through the first semi-final Credit: Tom Dymond 13 Judge Simon Cowell was pelted with eggs during the 2013 final Credit: ITV 13 The protest was planned by Natalie Holt Credit: Rex Features Comedian Joseph Charm and singers Jasmine Rice and Stacey Leadbetter are up against nine-year-old dancer Benita Chetry, Other acts include, Ping Pong Pang, who combine table tennis skills with dance, and the Hear Our Voice choir, which is made up of 39 people who have been impacted by the Post Office scandal. As well as creating stars like Susan Boyle and Diversity, the show's final has had its own fair share of controversies over the years. We take a look back at all of the biggest controversies that plagued the show's finale and proved you really do have to go big or go home. READ MORE FEATURES Egg throwing Singing duo Richard and Adam were in the middle of their moving rendition of The Impossible Dream during the series seven final, when one of their supporting musicians rushed to the front of the stage to pelt Simon Cowell with eggs. Natalie Holt was escorted from the stage by security, and later admitted she had planned to launch her protest against the music mogul after they finished their performance. She apologised profusely for spoiling their big moment but she had no such remorse for Simon, telling the Guardian that she had pelted him because he has too much power and influence in the entertainment industry. She also revealed she had been asked to mime during the performance which made it easy for her to put down her violin to pull the organic eggs from her tights. Most read in Reality But she thanked Simon for not pressing charges. She added: 'As an act of goodwill I would also be happy to offer to pay for his dry cleaning bill or buy him a new shirt, maybe with a few more buttons at the top.' Doggy double Britain's Got Talent branded a 'fix' by fuming viewers after 'wrong act' gets through to finals 13 2015 Britain's Got Talent finalist Jules O'Dwyer and Matisse Credit: Splash News 13 A different dog was used for part of the final act Credit: PA:Press Association Outraged viewers felt cheated when it transpired that they had been misled by winner of series nine, Jules O'Dwyer, about her dancing dog Matisse. The winning performance included a tightrope walk but it was revealed the next day that a different dog stepped in for that part of the act. Jules defended her decision to employ a stand in, stating that the real Matisse was afraid of heights. Ofcom received hundreds of complaints over the 2015 incident, with people even sending death threats to the pair. It was ruled that ITV had misled the public - though Jules was not stripped of her £250,00 prize money. Shock injury 13 The team members collided in mid-air during a stunt Credit: Rex 13 The South Korean group lost out to singer Sydnie Christmas in the 2024 final Credit: Rex Performance troupe Ssaulabi were midway through their stunt-filled routine when two of its members collided mid-air, with horrific consequences. One teammate fell to the stage and landed awkwardly on his foot, before trying to stand up and collapsing. Judge Alesha Dixon recoiled in horror as the performer was forced to crawl off the stage in agony. It was later revealed he had broken his foot. A BGT statement issued the following morning read: "During last night's live final, a member of Ssaulabi Performance Troupe was injured. "He was quickly seen by our onsite medical team before going to hospital for further treatment. All at BGT wish him a speedy recovery.'" Fix claims 13 Kojo Anim was in the 2020 BGT final Credit: Rex Features 13 Alesha was accused of voting for Kojo because he was her friend When comedian Kojo Anim was voted through to the final in 2020, judge Alesha Dixon was accused of voting for him because they are good friends. Alesha reportedly knew Kojo through her husband, dancer Azuka Ononye, and she toldher fellow judges and the audience: 'I have known Kojo for many, many years.' The Mis-teeq singer was also accused of favouritism when she sent contestant Lifford Shillingford through to the final with her golden buzzer. It later emerged Alesha already knew Lifford from back in the day when he'd supported Mis-teeq on tour. Alesha hit back though and said: "He's not a friend. That sounds cold, but I don't have his phone number. "I haven't seen him in years. When I say I know him, I know his music. I remember him from back in the day. There were shows that Mis-Teeq were doing that he was too. There was just a mutual respect and understanding between us." Anonymous blog 13 An anonymous blog claimed the star knew Simon Cowell before the show Credit: ITV 13 Ronan Parke performed on the show in 2011 Credit: ITV Back in 2011, an anonymous blogger accused child star Ronan Parke of having connections to show boss Simon Cowell before appearing for the show. Ronan was the runner-up after losing out to Scottish singer Jai McDowall in the final. The blogger claimed to be an anonymous Sony Music source who said that no act had won the show who hadn't been an "invited or preferred" contestant. And they claimed that Simon had known Ronan for two years and that the youngster had signed a deal with his record label. After being questioned by police, the blogger apologised and admitted having no connection to Cowell, Syco or Ronan. A spokeswoman for Sony Music said at the time: "A man has now admitted responsibility for the wholly untrue blogs relating to Ronan Parke and the false allegations against Britain's Got Talent, Sony Music and Syco. He has admitted he has absolutely no connection with Ronan Parke, Sony Music, Syco, or Britain's Got Talent.' Nepo baby claims 13 BGT bosses defended Issy after Nepo baby hate Credit: PA:Press Association 13 Issy Simpson during the audition stage for ITV1's talent show Credit: PA:Press Association In 2017, eight-year-old Issy Simpson won her place in the final after stunning the audience and judges by reading Simon Cowell's mind. But her joy at making it to the final was tarnished after it was revealed that her grandad was well known in the magic world and was the main magic man behind the scenes for BGT. BGT bosses defended Issy and said she had won her spot fair and square saying: 'Russ Stevens (Issy's grandad) is a magic expert, who was used as a freelance magic consultant for two shows only in 2014. He has not been contracted since. 'Issy went through the same process as any other act and was judged on her performance on the day.'
Fashion Network
28-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Jacquemus unveils takeover at Monte-Carlo Beach Club
French fashion house Jacquemus has teamed up with the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer for a seasonal collaboration with the Monte-Carlo Beach Club. Running through October 7, the activation marks Jacquemus' first full-scale hospitality integration in Monte-Carlo. At the centre of the collaboration is a reimagining of the Beach Club's historic pier and Pool Café, now styled in Jacquemus' signature palette of banana yellow, coconut milk white, and graphic black stripes. The visual identity, drawn directly from the brand's 'La Croisière' collection presented in January 2025, is applied to sunbeds, parasols, beach towels, and café furnishings, creating a cohesive and highly Instagrammable guest experience. In addition to the design transformation, two exclusive Jacquemus boutiques have opened within the Beach Club. The boutique interiors feature a drawing by Renoir, another by Matisse, complemented by furniture and books that evoke the Provence region so beloved by the designer. The activation is part of a broader evolution at Monte-Carlo Beach, which has recently undergone several strategic upgrades, including the Michelin-star recognition of its Elsa restaurant, the launch of new padel courts, and upcoming restaurant openings.
