Wonderful news for art lovers as the Palais Carnolès art museum opens its doors to the public for the first time in a year, for a limited exhibition until 2nd February 2019.
The museum will showcase a collection of pieces which, up until recently, had been displayed at the Gallery of Contemporary Art at the Palace of Europe, in an exhibition entitled ‘Spotlight on Collections.’
Housed in the Palace of Carnolès, originally commissioned in 1717 by Antoine Grimaldi as a summer home, the museum has been home to the most popular artwork since 1977.
The museum boasts a huge variety of works (encompassing paintings, sculptures and drawings), ranging from the 13th century to contemporary. The exhibition will be split into two sections; the first displaying works from the 15th to the 19th century, with the second, coming in 2019, to show Mentonese work from the 19th and 20th century. The new opening will bring to light many well-known pieces, as well as some hidden treasures, forgotten about until now.
Amongst these works is the rather diverse collection of works acquired by Mr Wakefield-Mori, who left all his pieces to the city of Menton upon his death. Despite the eclecticism, the pieces are all linked by a shared aesthetic aspect.
The process of restoration has been ongoing since 2016. It is not only the art work that has undergone a period of repair, but also the building itself, with particular effort going into the reconstruction of the tower of Saint-Ambroise. The team responsible for the conservation is composed of museum staff as well as professional conservators. Out of the 5,000 works, so far, 3,700 have been fixed.
The museum is also home to delightful gardens, showcasing a variety of contemporary sculptures.
At a price of 2€ (1€ concessions), this is certainly not an event to be missed.
The exhibition will be open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10am to 12pm and later from 2pm to 6pm. It will be closed on the 11th and 12th January.
Lead image by Tangopaso [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons;
Exhibition poster © Ville de Menton;
Ecole française
L’adoration des Rois Mages
XVème siècle
Peinture sur tissus marouflé sur bois, 32 x 26 cm.
Don de Charles Wakefield-Mori, n° d’inventaire 683
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