The exhibition Anna Boch, un voyage impressionniste paints a multifaceted portrait of the Belgian artist Anna Boch, a free and avant-garde woman of her time. A rich personality to discover at the Pont-Aven Museum from February 3 to May 26, 2024.
The Pont-Aven Museum in Brittany, in partnership with the Mu.ZEE of Ostend in Belgium, pays tribute to Anna Boch (1848 - 1936), a major female figure in Belgian art from the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Impressionist painter, music lover, collector, patron, traveler and architecture enthusiast, Anna Boch stands out with her wealth, dynamism and open-mindedness.
Older sister of Eugène Boch, and heiress to the Boch earthenware factories, Anna Boch was able to lead a free and vibrant life thanks to her social origins and family benevolence. The only woman to have joined the artistic circles Les XX and La Libre Esthétique, founded by her cousin Octave Maus, she positioned herself there as an equal with her peers. Together, they embarked on the adventure of neo-impressionism, then embodied by Théo van Rysselberghe, Paul Signac and Georges Seurat.
1 - Vincent Van Gogh - Eugène Boch 1888, Huile sur toile - Legs Eugène Boch par l’intermédiaire de la Société des Amis du Musée du Louvre, 1941, musée d’Orsay © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d’Orsay) / Hervé LewandowskI
2 - Anna Boch, Femme écrivant, vers 1888 Huile sur toile104 x 83 cm Collection particulière © Art-Photo/PHIA cv
Her passion for nature took her to remote corners, dreaming of living in a cabin, to capture the beauty of bucolic landscapes. A lover of seascapes, she captured the light and reflections of the Brittany coasts in particular, to integrate them into vibrant artistic compositions.
Apart from her own works, Anna Boch had one of the most important collections of impressionist paintings of her time. She promoted young artists, including Vincent van Gogh, whom she admired for his talent and who was a friend of her brother Eugène Boch. She bought La Vigne Rouge from him for 400 French francs, the only work that Van Gogh managed to sell during his life!
The Pont-Aven Museum has been engaged for several years in a process of promoting the place of women in the history of art. This exhibition on Anna Boch is part of their reflection on the place of women in art.
Exhibition Anne Bloch, un voyage impressionniste
From February 3 to May 26 2024
Musée de Pont-Aven
Place Julia 29930 Pont-Aven
cover picture - Anna Boch, Cueillette, 1890 Huile sur toile, 74 x 107 cm, Collection particulière © vincent everarts
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