Created in 1978 by one Leonard Gianadda (named after his brother Pierre, who had died in a plane accident two years earlier), this museum sits on the foundations of a Gallo-Roman temple, some of which have been preserved - and nicely integrated - within the building and in its extensive gardens; there's also a collection of Roman antiques, the highlight of which for me was the surviving pieces of a large bronze statue of a standing three-horned minotaur, which is apparently a mythical figure from the region (it wasn't the only minotaur we saw in the town).
Somewhat randomly, but I guess reflecting the interests of its founder, it houses an automobile museum - maybe 50 or so cars dating from the 1890s to about the 1930s. Quite the sight. I don't know anything much about cars but most of the names were familiar and it was very evocative.
The temporary exhibition, "Picasso - L'oeuvre ultime - Hommage a Jacqueline", covered Picasso's later years, like the one in Lucerne. Mostly taking Jacqueline Roche (later Jacqueline Picasso) as their subject, from when they met in 1954, through marriage in 1961 and then the artist's death in 1973. Pretty good, and it was also interesting to see more of Picasso's revisionings of the work of others who he admired, like a couple of versions of "Les Femmes d'Alger" (inspired by Jacqueline's resemblance to one of the odalisques in Delacroix's painting), as well as some from his "Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe" series (Manet) and one taking Matisse as its starting point ("L'Atelier de la Californie ... in fact, the California ones in general tended to be good).
But the best bit was the sculpture garden, which included a commissioned Chagall mosaic housed in a pavilion with a pair of sculptures ("Oiseau et Poisson", 1964), a pleasing de Kooning ("Reclining Figure", 1969-83), one by Jean Arp ("Roue Oriflamme", 1962), one of Robert Indiana's iconic "Love" pieces and many more (Cesar, Rodin, Miro, Brancusi, Calder, Ernst...). Two who I hadn't heard of and liked: Niki de Saint Phalle ("Les Baigneurs", 1984) and Alicia Penalba ("Le Grand Double", 1979). Beautifully laid out and varied.
(w/ Wei)
Somewhat randomly, but I guess reflecting the interests of its founder, it houses an automobile museum - maybe 50 or so cars dating from the 1890s to about the 1930s. Quite the sight. I don't know anything much about cars but most of the names were familiar and it was very evocative.
The temporary exhibition, "Picasso - L'oeuvre ultime - Hommage a Jacqueline", covered Picasso's later years, like the one in Lucerne. Mostly taking Jacqueline Roche (later Jacqueline Picasso) as their subject, from when they met in 1954, through marriage in 1961 and then the artist's death in 1973. Pretty good, and it was also interesting to see more of Picasso's revisionings of the work of others who he admired, like a couple of versions of "Les Femmes d'Alger" (inspired by Jacqueline's resemblance to one of the odalisques in Delacroix's painting), as well as some from his "Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe" series (Manet) and one taking Matisse as its starting point ("L'Atelier de la Californie ... in fact, the California ones in general tended to be good).
But the best bit was the sculpture garden, which included a commissioned Chagall mosaic housed in a pavilion with a pair of sculptures ("Oiseau et Poisson", 1964), a pleasing de Kooning ("Reclining Figure", 1969-83), one by Jean Arp ("Roue Oriflamme", 1962), one of Robert Indiana's iconic "Love" pieces and many more (Cesar, Rodin, Miro, Brancusi, Calder, Ernst...). Two who I hadn't heard of and liked: Niki de Saint Phalle ("Les Baigneurs", 1984) and Alicia Penalba ("Le Grand Double", 1979). Beautifully laid out and varied.
(w/ Wei)
