Mar 1st, 2022, 03:35 PM

Experiencing the Morozov Collection

By Mia Baccei
Image credit: Mia Baccei
New exhibit honoring the late Morozov brothers at the Fondation Louis Vuitton

With the ever-changing art exhibitions in and around Paris, the spectacular Morozov Collection at the Louis Vuitton Fondation is a must see! The exhibition, honoring Ivan and Mikhail Morozov, opened in September 2021; and runs until April 3rd.

The Russian brothers were famous collectors of modern French, Russian, and Western art and the exhibition follows the life of the two brothers as they begin a beautiful relationship with collecting art. It is the first time this exhibit has been available anywhere outside of Russia so it might be a once in a lifetime experience for some. 

What makes the exhibition particularly remarkable is the inclusion of some of the early artworks of many of the most prominent Western, French, and Russian artists of the late 19th and 20th century. It is extremely well lit, very easy to navigate. The paintings are grouped, for the most part, by the artists that painted them.

Photo Credit: Mia Baccei

A large part of the collection is a group of portraits that were created by Valentin Serov, one of the most influential Russian portrait artists. He was a good friend of the Morozov family and a lot of the portraits were of their family members. There is also a huge collection of artworks by Paul Gauguin that were the first to ever enter Russia. Mikhail Morozov was the one who obtained them, and they are part of a collection that is titled "A day in Polynesia". These artworks draw a lot of attention because of their extremely colorful nature and ability to catch most anyone's eye.

One of the most highly anticipated pieces of art is Vincent Van Gogh's "The prisoner". It has never been displayed in a museum setting before, and, on top of being beautifully well lit in a dark room, the painting had a line of people out the door waiting to see it. The line was definitely worth the wait because the painting is a showstopper. It is a self portrait of Van Gogh in the mental hospital where he spent the last years of his life. It is extremely captivating and gives a very detailed insight into the last years of Van Gogh on the wall directly opposite of the painting. 

"The prisoner", by Vincent Van Gogh (Photo credit: Mia Baccei)
 

The Morozov brothers obtained their first Russian artworks in 1891-1894, and their first French artworks including Corot, Rodin, Gauguin and Van Gogh in 1899. Mikhail died in 1903, and in 1909 his widow donated his collection of 39 Western artworks and 44 Russian artworks to the Tretyakov Gallery. Ivan Morozov's collection became nationalized in 1918 which included 240 French artworks and 430 Russian artworks. Ivan died in 1921. After the war, the collections of both brothers were divided between the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg and the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. 

 The brothers also loved collecting landscapes. A lot of these landscapes were by Pierre Bonnard and Claude Monet, who the brothers were fascinated with because of their new approaches to art. In the Morozov brothers' youth, they received landscape painting training by Impressionists so they both held a special place in their hearts for landscape paintings. One of the most awe-inspiring rooms is the one dedicated to art depicting ancient gods and goddesses that can be seen at the end of the exhibition.

The music is very ethereal and accompanies the paintings well, making it so that you become immersed in the artworks and their backstories. The exhibit reveals in great detail the love that both Ivan and Mikhail Morozov had for art.

[Teaser] The Morozov Collection. Icons of Modern Art

The exhibition can be viewed at the Louis Vuitton Fondation, located at 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris France until April 3, 2022. It is easily accessible by bus or metro, with a short walk through Jardin d'Acclimation. The admissions tickets were 10€ because of a student discount, but are normally 22€. It is highly recommended that a reservation is made in advance.
You can find tickets at https://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/fr/evenements/icones-de-l-art-moderne-la-collection-morozov