Through May 12 at the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM), Paris 1900: City of Entertainment introduces visitors to Paris during the Belle Époque (“Beautiful Era”) of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Few cities have the allure of Paris. Known as the City of Light, it has attracted tourists, artists and free thinkers for hundreds of years. A rapidly growing metropolis at the turn of the 20th century, Paris was a vibrant epicenter of cultural change, hosting 51 million visitors for the historic International Exposition of 1900. Paris 1900: City of Entertainment immerses visitors in the joie de vivre, elegance, optimism, and artistic and technological innovations of Paris at this transformative time.
Featuring over 200 works of art, with paintings and prints by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as sculptures by Auguste Rodin, Antoine Bourdelle and Camille Claudel, the exhibition also introduces visitors to talented, lesser-known artists and designers. It explores Sarah Bernhardt’s dual legacy as artist and actress, and showcases rare Art Nouveau furniture and acclaimed examples of art pottery and glass work. Arranged to encourage the visitor's cultural immersion, the exhibition adds atmosphere with references to fashion, Parisian cafe culture and cabaret.
