Parisian art to come to town

THE next international event at the Bendigo Art Gallery will feature works from the oldest municipal exhibition space in in Paris.

Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 will open in March next year and aim to give visitors the chance to view artwork from the historic Musée Carnavalet.

Bendigo Art Gallery director Jessica Bridgfoot said the exhibition would provide audiences with an opportunity to explore Paris at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

“It was a time of documenting social history as well as the birth of this idea of impressionism, and emotion being conveyed through art and design,” she said.

“Contemporary artists today in Australia and internationally, their role is to reflect society and the contemporary world that we live in, so in that sense it’s a glimpse into what contemporary Paris looked like in 1890.”

Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 is part of the Bendigo International Collection Series, a partnership between the State Government and the gallery.

“What these exhibitions do is really bring a global culture to Australia and locally to Bendigo which is a fantastic achievement,’ Ms Bridgfoot said.

“And it’s not just visitors that experience these shows, it’s also school groups so local young people as well who get a chance to engage, in this case with Paris at the turn of the century.”

Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, announced that funding for the series through the State’s Visit Victoria initiative would be extended for another three years.

“The Bendigo international collections has of course already delivered some amazing exhibitions from Marylin Munroe, grace Kelly, and of course Elvis we all remember,” she said.

Since the international collections program began 650,000 visitors and $108 million has been brought to the region.

“I think all in all, all of the exhibitions we’ve held so far have been very, very successful and the benefits are there for everyone to see,” Ms Edwards said.

“I know that our much-loved Bendigo art gallery will continue to deliver and we will continue to work with them as a state government to make sure we get the best exhibitions in Victoria, right here in Bendigo.”

Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 will open on 16 March 2024.