Walsh Gallery exhibit explores French modernist artists’ works

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University presents “Maurice Brianchon and Marguerite Louppe: Mirrors of Midcentury French Culture.” The opening reception will be held on Thursday, Jan. 25, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the gallery, located at 400 South Orange Ave. in South Orange. The exhibit will be open from Jan. 16 through March 9.

The exhibition brings together the paintings of two French modernists, a husband and wife team who were active in the art scene from the 1920s through the 1970s. Brianchon was an influential and well-known French painter who worked until his death in 1979, while Louppe though under-recognized, was no less accomplished as a painter.

The paintings, prints, drawings and sketches in the exhibition offer a visual diary of the dialogue between the two artists: Brianchon, who was heavily influenced by the impressionists and post-impressionists, painted classic scenes of nudes, still lifes and ballet dancers, while Louppe explored the more modernist artistic trends of the day such as purism and cubism. But we know from the narrative of their son that the two discussed their art on a daily basis.

Complementing the rich offering of visual art is an equally fascinating collection of historical documents, illustrated books and letters showing the wide network of artists and thinkers that circulated through their world. The exhibition will investigate the period of World War II in particular, which saw the pair torn between a friend group that consisted of artists, composers, writers, ambassadors and musicians who were deeply affected by the Nazi occupation.

The exhibition is co-curated by David Hirsch, the great nephew of the artists, and William Corwin, a New York-based curator, sculptor and writer. The archival materials in the exhibition come from Hirsch’s private collection and these materials will allow for a multifaceted and intellectually rigorous approach to understanding the impact and cultural significance of Louppe and Brianchon’s respective oeuvres. Prints, drawings and photographs by friends and associates of Louppe and Brianchon, including Matisse and Dunoyer de Segonzac, will be featured, as well as correspondence from notable French creatives and intellectuals like Poulenc and Zadkine. An illustrated catalogue with contributions by the curators and brief biographies of the artists will be available.

For more information, visit www.shu.edu/walshgallery. The Walsh Gallery is open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

  Seton Hall University, Walsh Gallery