Nowness

Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) was one of the most formidable artists of the late nineteenth century, and one whose work was to have a profound influence on the development of art in the twentieth. He began as an Impressionist, but went on to develop a more two-dimensional, richly-coloured style in his constant search for a 'lost paradise' untouched by nineteenth-century civilization. Gauguin's romande and tragic life story is mirrored in the works in this outstanding anthology. Included are 48 full-page colour plates, not only of his best-known beautiful, atmospheric paintings of Tahiti in which Gauguin attempted to reconstruct the perfect life which he had failed to find in reality, but also of many powerful works which reflect the artist's contact with other early modern masters - Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne. Sir Alan Bowness, who was Director of the Tate Gallery until 1988, is the author of the lively introductory essay which provides the background to the paintings, and art historian Lesley Stevenson has written an informative, clear commentary to accompany each colour plate.

Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) est l'une des plus grandes femmes sculpteurs du XXe siècle. Elle fait partie de ces artistes (Arp, Calder, Gabo, Mondrian...) qui, au lendemain de la Première Guerre mondiale, ont su réinventer l'art entre abstraction et figuration, dans une démarche humaniste et universelle de profond renouvellement des formes. En étroite collaboration avec la Tate, le musée Rodin invite à une (re)découverte inédite de la brillante carrière de cette artiste singulière qui a inventé une poétique des plus originales, proche de l'art abstrait mais fortement inspirée par la nature. Du marbre au bronze en passant par le plâtre ou le bois, Barbara Hepworth a toujours su varier matières et textures avec une inspiration fertile. Peintures, dessins et gravures, évocation de l'atelier, documents et photographies d'archives illustrent l'univers sensible et fascinant de l'artiste, véritable alchimie entre paysage, monde intérieur et matériau.