“In the City of Light: Paris, 1850-1920” brings together work by numerous artists in a variety of media, including prints, drawings, sculpture and photographs
ATLANTA, April 12, 2023 — This fall, the High Museum of Art will present “In the City of Light: Paris, 1850-1920,” an exhibition that serves as an illustrated guide through the architecture, people and culture of the dynamic, visionary French capital during the latter half of the 19th century and into the 20th century. By artists such as Théophile Steinlen, Henri-Gabriel Ibels, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Honoré Daumier, Édouard Vuillard and others, the works on view will explore Parisian life through their subjective lenses, comprising a kaleidoscope of impressions featuring the luxuries and hardships of city life, both public and private. Organized by the High and including approximately 60 works of art from the Museum’s rich holdings and significant loans from local private collections, the exhibition will be on view from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31.
“This exhibition will give visitors an intimate look at Parisian life from the perspectives of some of the city’s most well-known artists, and it features incredible works drawn from our strong collections of European works on paper and documentary photography,” said Rand Suffolk, the High’s Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director. “We are also thankful for the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. Michael Schlossberg and Dr. and Mrs. Robert Gaynes, whose loans to the exhibition include rarely seen works.”
As they immortalized the sights of Notre Dame, dancers at the Folies Bergère and the promenading bourgeoisie on the boulevards, the artists featured in the exhibition also captured bustling street markets, absinthe drinkers in cafés, and the pursuits of beggars, buskers and people at work. To reflect these core aspects of everyday life in Paris, the exhibition will be organized around four themes: familiar architectural landmarks, busy street life throughout the city, Parisian “types” and celebrities, and spectacles and entertainments. Each section of the exhibition will feature works in a variety of media, from prints and drawings to photographs and sculpture.
Exhibition curator Claudia Einecke said, “For me, the special appeal of this exhibition lies in the great kaleidoscopic variety of places, activities and people it offers to the viewer. Each urban view, each lively scene, provides a historical, social or psychological insight into the great city of Paris—the City of Light—as it was one-hundred-plus years ago and as it, on some levels, still is.”
The exhibition will be presented in the Special Exhibition Galleries on the Second Level of the High’s Stent Family Wing.
Exhibition Organization and Support
“In the City of Light: Paris, 1850-1920” is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta. This exhibition is made possible by funding from Premier Exhibition Series Sponsor Delta Air Lines, Inc.; Premier Exhibition Series Supporters ACT Foundation, Inc., William N. Banks, Jr., Cousins Foundation, Burton M. Gold, Sarah and Jim Kennedy, Harry Norman Realtors, and wish Foundation; Benefactor Exhibition Series Supporters Robin and Hilton Howell; Ambassador Exhibition Series Supporters Mrs. Fay S. Howell/the Howell Fund, the Fred and Rita Richman Fund, Louise Sams and Jerome Grilhot, Mrs. Harriet H. Warren, and Elizabeth and Chris Willett; Contributing Exhibition Series Supporters Farideh and Al Azadi, Sandra and Dan Baldwin, Mr. Joseph H. Boland, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Robin E. Delmer, Peggy Foreman, Helen C. Griffith, Mr. and Mrs. Baxter Jones, Joel Knox and Joan Marmo, Margot and Danny McCaul, Wade A. Rakes II & Nicholas Miller, and USI Insurance Services. Generous support is also provided by the Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund, Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund, Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Eleanor McDonald Storza Exhibition Endowment Fund, the Fay and Barrett Howell Exhibition Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund, Katherine Murphy Riley Special Exhibition Endowment Fund, Margaretta Taylor Exhibition Fund, and RJR Nabisco Exhibition Endowment Fund.
About the High Museum of Art
Located in the heart of Atlanta, the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High features a collection of more than 18,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from prehistory through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. The High is dedicated to reflecting the diversity of its communities and offering a variety of exhibitions and educational programs that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of artists and the creative process. For more information about the High, visit www.high.org.
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Media contact:
Marci Tate Davis
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