|
And it was all thanks to his wife Valentine Prax who bequeathed
around 100 pieces of his works, that the City of Paris
opened this fascinating museum in memory of Ossip Zadkine.
With this little house being hidden between the modern university buildings you cannot see
it very well from the street, so you definitely need to make sure you are at the right
address, but once there you will see a small path that leads to a garden and the atelier.
Zadkine was witness to artistic changes throughout his life and you will be able to see
how is work changed over the years from primitivism and cubism to his more abstract works
of his last years.
The artist established himself in Paris in 1909. Disappointed by the academic education he
received in London and Paris, he turned to other sources of inspiration. But Zadkine also
taught sculpture at the famous Acad?mie de la Grande-Chaumi?re, which is still situated
around the corner from his former residence.
Within the garden of the house, you can sit and relax on a bench whilst taking in
sculptures such as the Two Faced Woman With The Bird, and the garden is a pleasant place
to be in Paris on a nice summers day, which also plays host to temporary exhibitions.
The Musee Zadkine is small and therefore an intimate setting for people to visit and
become acquainted with Zadkine's work and the majority of his sculpture is abstract with
bronze figures that seem to mingle in with the trees and shrubbery of this beautiful
garden. Yet you can also go inside the little house and view some of his works
within the studio, but we would like to point out that this is not free to visit.
Ossip Zadkine had this little place built where he resided with his wife and painter
Valentine Prax, and upon joining the cubists in 1914, he developed a very powerful, yet
original style. He exerted a great influence upon contemporary sculptors after World
War II, with The Destruction of Rotterdam being among his best known public works.
It was Zadkine's wish to have the house and garden transformed into an exhibition place
for his works, and upon the death of his wife, she left everything to the French State for
this reason. Her paintings are also now on show along side her husbands' exhibits
and there are well over 100 permanent exhibits on display.
But being a small place, although interesting, will not be a long visit like some of the
other museums, such as The Louvre, where you
should put a whole day to one side.
The museum is open every day of the week except on a Monday from 10am through to 6pm.
Address & Contact Details:
Musee Zadkine
100 Bis
Rue d'Assas
75006
Paris
Telephone: 1 55 42 77 20
|
|
