La Nuit des Musées is a not-to-be-missed event in thecultural calendar of the Ile-de-France region. This event, which takes place all over Europe, invites us to rediscover our heritage through a program of exceptional nocturnes, free visits andoriginal activities awaiting you in museums, monuments, châteaux and other institutions. As you'd expect, Paris and the whole of the Île-de-France region are on board for this new edition, with a superb program to be discovered this Saturday, May 18, 2024.
Would you like to explore the fabulous heritage of the Yvelines region? This time, we're taking you to Saint-Germain-en-Laye to conquer the Musée Ducastel-Vera. The Musée Ducastel-Vera is home to an impressive collection bequeathed by Louis-Alexandre Ducastel, representing fine arts from the 15th to the 20th century, which can also be found in the municipal museum; the Musée Paul-et-André-Véra, which hosts temporary exhibitions; an astonishing royal apothecary; and the house where Claude-Debussy was born. So, what does this amazing place have in store for us for this new edition of the Nuit des Musées, on Saturday May 18, 2024? See the program below.
A painter of seasons, gardens, the joy of being outdoors, flowers and fruit, Paul Vera has always been a painter of nature. Deeply Parisian, he nevertheless banished from his art the buildings, teeming streets, factories, cars and their fumes, replacing them with the pure air of the countryside, dense foliage, clear waters gliding through emerald-green grass, generous vegetable gardens. Happy gardeners, opulent bathers, playful allegories and carefree vacationers populate this bucolic setting that is both ideal and familiar. Despite his youthful travels to Italy and Brittany, Vera's inspiration came from his long walks in the park and forest of Saint-Germain, and the gardens he created with his brother André. He never left his sketchbook and watercolor box behind, and when he imagined Painting for the 1925 Decorative Arts Exhibition, it was a young woman painting in the middle of nature, sheltered under a parasol.
Some of the watercolors Vera produced on the spot and for her own pleasure take on the appearance of real landscapes, revealing her talent as a colorist, her observant eye and her taste for angular compositions bordering on abstraction. From 1931, views of the Thebaid and the Saint-Germain area were followed by the geometry and brown palette of Honfleur harbour. The artist returned to landscapes at the start of the war, finding solace in the light of Gollot and Thonon.
The seasons, their colors, diversity and poetry, were one of Paul Vera's favorite themes. Paintings, sculptures, tapestries, but also plates from the Manufacture de Sèvres: the personified seasons reinvent allegory. Inspired by the plates created by Paul Vera, the pupils of the CP class at École des Écuyers become artists, giving shape and color to winter, spring, summer and autumn.
To coincide with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the museum is presenting a number of sports-themed works by Paul Vera, and taking the opportunity to renew some of the Art Deco furniture. The Beaux Dimanches seats celebrate the joys of sport!
Exceptional opening of the Royal Apothecary's of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, listed as a historic monument.
With its original woodwork, over 230 pieces of 17th and 18th century ceramics, glassware, measuring instruments and sculptures, the Apothecary's is a living testimony to the Royal General Hospital built by Louis XIV in 1681, and the Charité founded by Queen Marie-Thérèse ten years earlier.
Guided tour by a museum mediator.
Dates and Opening Time
On May 18th, 2024
Location
Ducastel-Vera Museum
3 Rue Henri IV
78100 Saint Germain en Laye
Official website
www.seine-saintgermain.fr
