Paris, 15 April 1874, eight o’clock in the evening, the neon gas sign in front of the famous photographer Nadar’s studio lights up Boulevard des Capucines. On the building’s 2nd and 3rd floors, some thirty painters have gathered to present a selection of around 165 of their works to the public. Relive the first impressionist exhibition’s inaugural soiree in virtual reality! An unprecedented, totally immersive journey back in time. The exhibition that opens its doors in the famous photographer Nadirs’ former studio on 15 April 1874 at eight o’clock in the evening brings together independent artists who have chosen to exhibit their works outside the official Salon without, however, turning their event into a “Salon des Refusés” [i.e. exhibition of rejected works]. Ambitious, provocative, visionary… the painters involved include Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro and Edgar Degas.
In this experience, recreated for the first time and keeping as close as possible to historical reality, the first impressionist exhibition reopens its doors for a spectacular nighttime visit as a family or with friends... After being immersed in the atmosphere of Paris as it was in the second half of the 19ecentury, equipped with a latest-generation virtual reality headset, you stroll down Boulevard des Capucines at nightfall. You get to number 35 and make your way into the studio. During your time there, you make the acquaintance of the movement’s emblematic painters and their works. Your visit is interspersed with digressions that gradually enable you to understand the ties of friendship and enmity that unite them, what it is they are seeking, and the importance of the artistic movement they are in the process of creating.
The program is based on in-depth research that enabled us to bring together the sources required for the truest possible reproduction of Nadar’s studio and the exhibition that took place in it: land registers, architectural plans, aerial photographs and the studio’s archives were all studied, as were the exhibition catalogue, the artists’ correspondence and journalists’ and critics’ descriptions, etc. Thanks to the work carried out by experts in 3D reconstruction, architecture and heritage, and with the help of specialists in impressionism, this virtual experience invites you to take part in one of the major events in art history.
The experience is suitable for children of 11 y/o and above; children under 8 y/o are prohibited.
We remind you that, in view of the technology used, virtual reality experiences are not recommended for people subject to epileptic seizures or migraines, or people with balance or vision disorders.
A Gédéon programmes, Emissive & Musée d’Orsay coproduction. Duration: around 50 min. In connection with the exhibition “Paris 1874, the Impressionist Moment”