“Art sweeps our soul from the dust of everyday life.”
Pablo Picasso
Paul Mellon and his wife Rachel ‘Bunny’ Lambert, the most important and refined patron of the XX century.
The Bano Foundation, after the success of the exhibitions dedicated to Joan Miró and to Paul Gaugin, continues its project with the aim of presenting works belonging to private collections. Colleen Yarger, chef of department and curator of the Mellon Collection catalogue, will bring to Palazzo Zabarella 73 among the masterpieces of their fantastic collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: works never exhibited before that converge to the American museum creating a unique, unrepeatable and unmissable exhibition!
The magic, the allure, the charm and the elegance of the French art, as well as the marked sensitivity and taste in collecting of the Mellon spouses, are held in this works selection which brings us to diver their life and their passions. Mounted Jockey by Théodore Géricault and Young Woman Watering a Shrub by Berthe Morisot open the itinerary that continues with horse portraits by Eugène Delacroix and Théodore Géricault, races scenes by Edgar Degas (of whom we also have a serie of four sculptures), passing through different still life by Alfred Sisley, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Fantin-Latour, Odilon Redon, as evidence of the love for horses of Paul Mellon and for the garden of his wife Rachel. We go on with the panoramas and unseen views of the Paris that used to be the heart of the worldly life and the salons frequented by Paul and Bunny, to pass after to intimate portraits. The impressionists have this touch particularly apt to transfer emotions and telling of people naturally impressed in their canvas. A Man Docking His Skiff by Gustave Caillebotte, for example, shows as lights and shadows can be particularly vibrant in this pictorial period.
Bunny Mellon used to be known for her good taste in the interior design rigorous and refined at the same time. She hosted in her house important guests as Elisabeth II of England, the Prince of Galles and Jacqueline Kennedy, her big friend who wanted her as personal counsellor in designing her different residences. This passion brings us among the works of Felix Vallotton, Henri Matisse, Paul Gaugin and Raoul Dufy, with The Chinese Chest of Drawers, cubist still life by Pablo Picasso, which guarantees the will of the avant-gardes to break down the concepts and the stylistic borders looking for news expressions.
Field of Poppies, Giverny by Claude Monet accompanies us to the end of this journey bringing us in the French fields of Georges Seurat, Kees van Dongen and Vincent van Gogh. Passing in the rural atmospheres perfectly balanced between energy and pure light, we arrive in the end of the intinerary with a fine selection of impressionist works, with two panoramas by Monet, a portrait by Renoir and one the famous dancers of Degas.
The prominent names of the French art of XIX and XX century, give us an appointment from the 26th of October 2019 to the 1st of March 2020 to Palazzo Zabarella, in Padova, and few minutes far, the AbanoRitz Hotel has thought to a special pack for who doesn’t want to miss this event: Just Relax & Event, our promotion dedicated to exhibitions and cultural events.
